Brave Hearts
by Ommy
Summary: Davis and Kari have gotten very close, and TK is devastated. Can he cope with this change and still have enough strength left over to stop Devimon (who has returned)? (TAKARI) Read and find out... *COMPLETED!*
1. Evil Returns

Well here comes another story by yours truly (Oh no! Run!). After going through the turmoil of writing five exams, as well as projects, presentations, etc, I finally have time to write again! This is another Digimon fic of mine (which I don't know if I rated properly - PG-13 for violence). This time, the story's completely original, and the children's digimon are in this, too. I've had the basic concept of this story in mind for some time now, but it needed more body. Well lo and behold, it has started to take form. Huzzah on my part! Again, I have the audacity to start the story out as a Daikari (don't flame me!). I just like putting TK through misery (even though he's my favourite), so he can earn his love. Rest assured he will! In this new fic of mine, the story takes place about five years after the defeat of MaloMyotismon. It should follow the concepts of the show pretty closely this time. 

Disclaimer: I need 1% more shares invested to control the corporation of Toei so I may own Digimon, but they won't give it to me! 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **Brave Hearts**

A cold wind brushed by in the Digital World as a small group ran through a lush forest. Behind this small group was a much larger figure who was far away, but was quickly gaining ground. The figure had a dark aura about it. The first party looked at each other with fear in their eyes. They tried to devise some sort of plan as they kept forging on.

"We've got to hurry, he's catching up! The television should only be a few miles from where we are." Kari stated, looking at her D-terminal as she carried Gatomon in her arm. The champion cat was battered and bruised as if she had been in a losing scuffle. In fact, the digimon of the other children were in no better shape. Each of them found some way of carrying their partner as they ran as fast as they could.

"Even more bad news, guys." Ken said. "I can't call Tai and the older kids to help. The D-terminal isn't able to send any messages right now, there's too much static." Wormmon was using his remaining strength to cling onto Ken's shoulders as he ran.

"How come that creep attacked us, anyway?" Davis inquired. "What did we ever do to him?" Veemon was snoring as Davis carried him. Davis felt nothing but pity and admiration for his weak, yet courageous friend.

"Honestly, Davis, I wonder if that head of yours will ever function correctly!" Scolded Yolei. "He's _evil_, Davis, he doesn't need a reason to be a creep - he just is!" Hawkmon grabbed onto her arm with all his strength as he was pulled along. Even though the group had matured over the past few years, some things - like Yolei and Davis' quarrelling - never changed.

"Who was that digimon that attacked us, though?" Cody asked thinking of the past events. "I didn't get a chance to ask the digimon, because of their eagerness to fight." Armadillomon was draped across his back as he ran. The mammal digimon groaned in pain. Cody had become much taller, and kendo kept him in good physical condition, so carrying his friend wasn't much of a problem.

"That was a digimon I thought I'd never have to see again." TK growled. "That, Cody, was Devimon." He looked at the tired Patamon in his arms. The demon digimon angered TK more than anything else in the world. The cold monster that nearly destroyed him and every one he held dear. The same evil entity that Angemon had to sacrifice himself to beat. TK sneered as he recalled these events. He never fully forgave himself for the incident. Cody looked at him in surprise, as he finally realized that he bore witness to the origin of TK's hateful side when they were about to DNA Digivolve.

Of course, since Gatomon had received her lost tail ring, the ability to DNA Digivolve was lost, thereby disallowing Digivolution past the champion level. Sure Gatomon regained her champion strength, but it was no match for the powers of darkness that surged through the devil. TK forbade Patamon to digivolve into Angemon, fearing that last encounter the two titans had would end the same way. The champion and armour digimon fought bravely against the threat, but he overpowered them. Pegasusmon and Nefertimon restrained Devimon with a golden noose attack to allow time for escape. Much to the group's reluctant nature, they complied and fled. The band of chosen had put a lot of distance between themselves and their aggressor. The two armour digimon's attack was soon overpowered by the evil digimon. With a feral rage emitting from Devimon he blasted the two away with dark energy. As the others ran through the woods, they saw two figures above them, engulfed in purple flames. They landed like two shooting stars that burnt out with a great thud. They all winced as the noise became audible. TK and Kari knew who they were and rushed to the smoking craters, where their partners fell. They had reverted back to their default forms. The both of them held their brave digimon closely as they started to run again. (A/N: This is where we now come in at the start of the story!) Now they were just a mile away from safety with a very angry antagonist closing in.

"I think we'll have to split up to increase our chances of escape." TK proposed. The group nodded at the idea. TK thought quickly. "Yolei and Cody, you're with me. We'll meet up at the television." Normally, he would have made it so that way Kari was with him so that way he could be sure that she was safe. Over the years and adventures that the group had had, he felt more strongly about the girl that was his best friend. He dared not tell her, for fear of rejection and/or ruining their friendship, but he still hoped that one day they would be together. Right now, Patamon and Gatomon were the weakest digimon of the group, so he felt that Davis and Ken should be with Kari since their digimon were the next strongest and weren't as badly beaten up as poor Patamon. So they divided and went off in different directions. TK hoped that Kari would be safe, and cursed himself for allowing Patamon to still fight against Devimon. He knew he had virtually the strongest digimon as his partner, but he was too bruised to do anything because TK let him go and fight. He worried about her constantly as he raced towards safety with Yolei and company in tow.

"Where are those pitiful humans?!" Devimon bellowed. After the group divided, they became much harder targets and were able to hide in the scenery much easier. The black being began destroying the environment around him in an act of frustration. His dark energy blazed around him. At the same time TK and Kari shuddered, much to the confusion of their group members. Devimon was at the epitome of anger. "When those children are finally in my clutches, I shall begin a very agonizing torture session. I shall dismember them all one by one, with the Child of Hope going last so he can watch in horror as I take his loved ones apart and devour them before I do the same to him!" The evil digimon licked his lips at his gruesome plan, and went back to searching - or in actuality - hunting.

"The gate is not much farther, we can't give up now!" Ken shouted as he ran. Kari and Davis were close behind. As they got in the immediate vicinity of the television (which was in a clearing), they waited by some shrubs until the other group met up with them. Ken decided that they should patrol around the area so they could look out for danger and their friends. He knew that Gatomon was badly beaten up, so he proposed that he would search around with Wormmon while Kari, Davis, and their digimon search elsewhere. There were no objections, so they set about their tasks. Davis could kiss Ken right now. Even though he was older and was less obnoxious then what he used to be, he still was madly in love with Kari, or was it just a crush? Nevertheless, he was finally alone with Kari.

"I hope the others are all right." Kari stated. "I couldn't bear anything happening to them." She looked down at her defeated friend once again and stroked the digimon's head gently. Davis nodded in sincere agreement. He thought about how the other group was fairing, even TK. He still couldn't believe how they turned into such good friends lately. They had put their childish rivalry behind them, and Davis even learned how to say TK's name! Of course he sometimes uses a random combination of letters now and then...just to tease him. Davis looked at Kari and saw that she was a bit shaken up still. He put his arm around Kari to comfort her. The girl looked back at him and smiled in appreciation. At the moment, Kari's adrenaline was working overtime. Here she was running for her life from an evil being with only one way of escape. With so many things hanging in the balance, she lost herself in Davis' kind gesture. She wondered where TK was and what he was doing. The blonde meant so much to her, but she wasn't quite sure in what way. He said that he cared for her, and she returned the expression, but did he mean it in a sense beyond that of a best friend? Then there was Davis. She always knew how he felt about her, since he made it publicly known every chance he had. Davis was never afraid to express how he felt about her, and had been very sweet to her, but was it love, an obsession, or just some silly crush? Kari was very confused and, given the circumstances, very vulnerable. She wasn't sure if it was just passion, feelings that she held back, or the need to feel alive, but she leaned over and kissed her comforter fully yet gently. Davis was taken aback at this, but he quickly regained his composure and kissed back.

Unbeknownst to the pair, a solitary figure watched on in shock and despair. TK was utterly devastated as he gazed at the scene before him. He let a single tear fall freely from his eye, but quickly wiped it away. He never wanted to be thought of as a cry-baby, so he did his best to regain his composure. Him and his group had met up with Ken a few minutes ago. After being informed about Ken's plans, he volunteered to go look for the missing members. However, he never thought that he would see this. He assumed that Davis had gotten over Kari, since he never made a fool of himself anymore by stating that Kari was his. Apparently he was gravely mistaken. He called out Davis and Kari's names in a fashion as to make it appear that he was searching for them. The pair departed from their short embrace and answered TK. As they walked towards the rest of the group, TK noticed how Kari and Davis were constantly glancing at each other. This hurt TK even more, but he made sure that he didn't show any emotion. He didn't want to compromise his friendship with the two, and he wanted them to be happy...even if it was at the cost of his own happiness. Finally the group rejoined and left for the real world together. TK cursed himself for his initial plan on the way back to Izzy's room via the Digiport. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

To be continued... 

Do you know how hard it was for me to write those last two paragraphs?!?! You have no idea! Never fear, dear readers, this _is_ a takari, but I like to make TK fight/earn Kari's love, even if it means throwing her into the arms of Davis (*shudders*).

Soon enough you'll see why I gave the story the title, _Brave Hearts_. So you must be patient! I'll probably update soon.

Coming soon: TK learns how to cope with Kari and Davis' newfound closeness towards one another, and Davis learns how TK truly feels about her (Oooooh, the tension!). As well, this fic will have more action. You can probably tell, because of the appearance of Devimon. The action will be more spectacular then it is now. Please review and share your thoughts/predictions/etc. 


	2. Promises Are Made to be...Broken?

Don't you just love March Break? I know I do! It gives me time to write and sleep (among other things). Well let's get another chapter up and running. Let's see how TK deals with what he found out. 

Disclaimer: I know it's hard for you all to believe, but I do _not_ own Digimon. Isn't that a scary thought? 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

The group dropped into Izzy's bedroom from his laptop with a great thud (as usual). The older chosen children were all there, and had worried expressions on their faces. After straightening themselves out and putting their digimon aside on the bed to rest, the younger kids gave a debriefing on the events that just transpired. The senior Digidestined listened on in horror as they learned of Devimon's return. Throughout the whole discussion, Kari and Davis sat close to one another, and talked amongst themselves. This only weakened TK's resolve, as he watched them with such pain, that even Devimon himself would wince. TK remained quiet throughout the conversation in one of the corners of the room. In fact, it was only Ken, Yolei, and Cody discussing the events. The older kids were far too absorbed in the story to notice the other three. 

"Well I think I should contact Gennai about this present problem." Izzy stated. "It would be best to discover the reason why and how Devimon has appeared. Perhaps he'll be able to give us some insight on stopping him. Although, I'm sure Angemon will be able to take him down once again." The group nodded at this, and Matt smiled proudly at his little brother. TK flinched at this. He did not want to lose his friend again. Matt noticed TK's reaction, and thought about the original battle against Devimon. 

"Well I still think we should all be prepared for a fight." Matt said, changing the subject. "After all, we just can't rely on TK and Patamon alone, it puts too much pressure on them." TK silently thanked his older brother and went back to staring at Kari. He noticed that Davis was trying to say something. 

"Kari, I know this might be a bad time, but would you like have dinner with me tomorrow?" Davis whispered. 

"Well...sure, Davis, I really could use some time to take my mind off the Digital World. I would be delighted." Kari responded. 

"Oh, ok, maybe some other...what?!" Davis said, flabbergasted. Kari chuckled at this. 

"I said I accepted." She assured him. She didn't know why, but she looked in TK's direction. The boy was so quiet and so melancholy. Kari thought about why he would be this way. She concluded that he was worried about Patamon and the possibility of having Angemon go up against the demon fiend. Her heart went out to her best friend. Meanwhile, TK (who had heard everything) had just about enough. He stood up and picked up his partner. He could not believe that she would agree to dinner with Davis knowing full well they had plans to go out on the same night to go bowling.

"I'm leaving, everyone, I'm rather tired. Plus I have to tend to Patamon. I'm sure you all would want him to be at full strength." TK said indifferently. His voice had a hint of coldness in it. He took his leave very quickly. The rest of the chosen looked at each other with a mutual bemused expression. Was it something they said? Or was it something else? They weren't quite sure, but they were worried about him. As TK was walking home, he let out a great sigh. He looked down at his arms to look at Patamon. "I think I was kind of rude to everyone back there." He said to Patamon. TK knew that his friend could not hear him, but he continued. "I don't know why I should be bitter towards Kari and Davis, it's not like me and Kari were more than friends and it's not like bowling is a big deal, but still...why did this have to happen to me? I was going to tell her how I felt about her soon, and now look at what's happened. Oh, I only have myself to blame. If only I had more courage, I wouldn't be in this mess...wouldn't I have?" He thought about his last remark very carefully. If Kari truly did care for him, she wouldn't have done what he saw her do. The blonde silently bowed his head in defeat. "I guess she only thinks of me as a friend then. The idea of Davis with Kari is going to be hell to live with, but I've got to be strong, if not for myself, then for everyone else who is counting on you and me, Patamon." TK looked up at the sky and stared into space. The stars were shining brightly this evening. He smiled at this. Stars always reminded him about Kari. Like the stars, Kari had this glow about her that would glow brilliantly - even her crest symbol was in the shape of a star, which suited her perfectly. She was the Keeper of Light, and the keeper of his heart, even if it was in pieces. He then decided that he would let fate decide what would happen in the future. He didn't fall in love with Kari, because she would love him back. He loved Kari for being herself. "Love is like life." He whispered to Patamon. "It's not always easy, and can lead to unhappiness. We keep on living, so why should we stop loving?" He wanted Kari to be happy, even if it was not with him. What surprised him is that he wanted Davis to be happy, too. TK briefly chuckled at this. When he got back to his apartment, he set his friend down on the bed very gently, got changed, and got into bed. He looked at his window briefly and saw a shooting star - the symbol of hope. TK silently laughed at the coincidence and closed his eyes to make a wish. "I hope that Kari will always be happy. I wish that she will always be full of love and life." TK yawned as he drifted off to sleep.

_TK opened his eyes to a wonderful scene. He was in a lively meadow in the Digital World. He could not help but smile. TK started wandering around aimlessly until he saw a figure in the distance. He proceeded to run up to the figure. When he got close enough, he recognized the figure...it was Kari. It appeared that she had a picnic spread out on the field. Kari looked up at him and grinned. He returned the expression and sat down right next to her. He looked at the goodies in the basket and his mouth started to water. Kari laughed out loud at the sight of TK drooling. The teen blushed. He then looked into Kari's eyes and caressed her cheek._

_"Kari, have I ever told you how I truly feel about you?" TK asked. "You're so kind, smart, and beautiful, Kari, you are the most wonderful person to be with." Kari started blushing and lowered her head in embarrassment. When she raised her head to look at TK again, her content face quickly changed into a petrified one. TK furrowed his eyebrows and quickly asked what was wrong. Kari did not move from her spot, nor did she speak. Then TK saw something in the reflection of her eye. He quickly turned around. As he did, the sky went pitch black, and the grass went blood red. As soon as he saw the figure his eyes went wide. It was a digimon, and not a pleasant looking one at that. It had a near-perfect human form and was dressed completely in black leather, a red bandana was tied to his shoulder, and he sported a helmet with spiky tips that covered the top half of his face (which had three - count 'em - three eyes). Something that caught TK's eye was what he wore over the helmet. It was odd, but he swore that they were...goggles. The evil being grinned, showing his sharp fangs while moving about his lithe tail. Immediately (yet instinctively), TK put himself in front of Kari to act as a human shield. The devilish creature reached behind itself and withdrew two jet black, double-barrelled magnums with his claws. He aimed them straight for the two helpless children. Kari started whimpering, and clutched TK tightly. "Don't worry, Kari, I'll protect you...I promised I would, and I'm going to stand by my word. An uproarious, maniacal laughter boomed from the digimon, he cocked his weapon...and fired._

TK sprung up from his bed in a cold sweat. His breathing was heavy and erratic, and his heart felt like he just ran several laps around the world. After he calmed down a bit, a familiar weight was upon his head.

"TK, are you all right?" The squeaky voice chirped.

"Yeah, Patamon, just a bad dream is all." TK responded. "Besides, I should be asking you that question."

"Don't worry, TK, I'm stronger than I look!" Patamon said while trying - or in reality, failing - to flex. The teen laughed at his partners attempt to look tough.

"I never doubted you, Patamon." TK said while snickering.

"That's right!" Said Patamon, proudly. Then his tone went serious again. "TK, why didn't you allow me to digivolve into Angemon?" TK saw this question coming.

"Well, Patamon, I didn't want a repeat tragedy like the one that happened when we faced Devimon the first time." TK answered. "I couldn't bear to lose you again."

"Are you still blaming yourself for that, TK?" The digimon asked. "You really shouldn't. It is my job to protect you and look out for you. What I did when we fought Devimon was out of my own free will and choice, and I would do it all over again an infinite amount of times if it meant saving your life." TK was taken aback at the words of his partner.

"Patamon...I...I-" TK started.

"Forget it." Patamon interrupted. "I know that you would do the same for me in an instant." TK nodded at this. Patamon continued "We're not just partners and equals, we are each part of a whole - a bigger picture that neither you nor I can comprehend. We complement each other in a way that we function as one. That is the way it has always been, that's the way it will always be." TK's alarm clock then rang, ending the bedtime conversation. TK rose up from his bed.

"I didn't know you could be so deep, Patamon, where did that come from?" TK inquired.

"Honestly, TK...I...don't...know." Patamon answered. "The words just came to me at that instant, I can't describe it."

"Well perhaps another time you'll have an epiphany." TK joked. "In the meantime I have to get ready for school." Patamon chuckled. Then TK stuck his head back in his room quickly after he left. "Seriously though, Patamon, thank you. I really needed some encouragement and moral support at this time. At least now I will have the strength to go through this day." Patamon gave a confused stare and was about to ask what TK meant, but the boy went back to getting ready.

Usually on the walk to school, TK would see Kari on the way, and they would talk. However, today he did not see her. He guessed that she might be walking with Davis. He also knew that Kari would not be able to come bowling in the evening like they had planned, because of the plans she had with Davis about dinner, so he would expect a call later saying that she could not make it. TK frowned at this. Surely she would not forget about him, wouldn't she? Kari was never a forgetful person, so there would be no reason for her to start now, even though Davis was a bad influence. The thought of Davis rubbing off on her made TK shudder.

The day at school went normal enough. Today, TK had a few tests, so he would not have been able to talk to Kari anyway. When lunch came, the kids sat at their usual table. As Kari came with Davis to the table, she noticed that TK seemed a little distant.

"TK, what's wrong?" Kari asked. "You seem rather quiet today." TK looked at her, and quickly searched his mind for a plausible excuse.

"Well, Kari...you see...it...err...I...am...concerned about Devimon being back, that's all." TK stated, satisfied with his response.

"I'm sure you're very worried about losing Patamon again." Kari responded. "Personally, I don't know what I would do if I lost Gatomon."

"It's a very hard and hurtful thing to deal with when you lose the ones you love." Said TK. "Especially if you lose them because of another." He let out a great sigh, thankful that he could say what was on his mind in a hidden way, and hoping that Kari would not realize the double-meaning of his words. Kari felt a great amount of respect for her best friend. She knew that losing a friend would be a very traumatic experience, especially at the innocent age of eight. TK was the strongest person she knew. Even though he might have felt miserable on the inside, he would try to be strong for everyone so that they would never give up hope. If she only knew...

When school ended TK left for home, hoping that Kari would catch up to him like she normally did, but she never came. She seemed to be spending a lot of time with Davis now, but she never said anything about it officially. He thought that was rather odd, considering they talked about everything. _What's happening to us, Kari_. He thought. He became afraid of the idea that they might be growing apart.

Later on in the evening in a quaint little cafe, Davis and Kari were enjoying a night out together. Davis was doing back-flips in his mind the whole time. Kari had a content look on her face.

"It's nice to finally get away from the troubles of the Digital World." Kari said. "Even if it's for a little while." Davis nodded.

"I agree, Devimon seems like he's going to take a lot of strength to beat, so we've got to rest up so we can put him away!" Davis said with determination. Kari giggled at his naivety, but she liked how Davis was very optimistic about the situation, and how hopeful he was. It reminded her of someone else she knew.

"Thank you for being so considerate and Kind, Davis." She stated. Davis winked back at her, which made her smile.

At the Kamiya residence, Tai was watching TV. He should have been studying or doing homework (since he is in university), but Tai was never the one to take school seriously. Normally Izzy would be the one to bail him out. Tai was lazily relaxing on the couch with a rice ball in his mouth that he was chewing on, when the phone suddenly rang. Tai nearly choked on his snack as he went to the phone. Once he regained the ability to breathe, he picked up the receiver.

"Hello, Kamiya residence." He answered.

"Hi, Tai." Said TK. "Is Kari home?"

"As a matter of fact, she isn't." The older boy responded. "She went out with Davis. When I was going to ask her why, she was quickly out of the apartment. Say, wasn't she going bowling with you today?" TK frowned, as he realized that she was still on her date.

"Yeah, but she had to cancel, because she already promised Davis to go out with him." TK lied. "He had to get a break sometime. Just tell her that I called."

"Alright, TK...bye." Tai said.

"Later" The blonde boy said emotionlessly as he hung up the phone. Tai slowly placed the receiver back on the cradle. He easily saw past TK's charade, and felt sorry for the boy. Tai knew how TK felt about Kari. He had learned about his feelings towards his sister when they were in France five years ago...

_"Thank goodness that's over with." Tai said. "Those Mamemon brothers were more troublesome than we thought they would be."_

_"Yeah, it's a good thing our digimon were able to digivolve again, don't you think so?" TK asked, but there was silence. "Tai?" He looked back at Tai who was getting a thank you kiss from Catherine. He laughed at the blushing Tai._

_"Sorry, TK, it looks like she went for my heroism over yours." Tai stated. The younger boy snickered._

_"That's quite alright, Tai." Said TK. "There's someone else on my mind right now."_

_"Oh! You mean Kari!" Tai said, matter-of-factly. TK's face went red._

_"What?!" Exclaimed TK. "Well...you see...the thing is...I-"_

_"You can stop your stuttering, TK" Tai interrupted. "I might not be as smart as Izzy or Joe, but your feelings for my sister are too obvious." TK lowered his head in defeat._

_"Am I really that transparent?" TK asked rhetorically. "Why aren't you mad then?"_

_"The answer to that is very simple." Tai answered. "From what I've seen and heard, you really do care for Kari. Sora even told me about the promise you made to protect my sister when we were facing Piedmon. You are the only guy I would trust her with. Heaven forbid she go for Davis! Promise me you won't let that happen, and that you'll tell her how you feel!"_

_"I promise, Tai!" TK laughed. "Thank you for being so understanding."_

_"You're welcome." Tai said back. "Oh and don't worry, I'll keep your feelings a secret, just remember your promise." Tai winked at him and TK smiled back in appreciation._

"How could you break your promise, TK..." Tai whispered to himself. He looked at the clock, and notice that it was a few minutes past twelve. He thought that it was kind of late for Kari to be out at this time. As if on cue, Kari and Davis had arrived at the front door.

"I had a great time tonight, Davis." Kari told him.

"Well I enjoyed it, too, Kari." Davis said. "We should go out another time real soon."

"I'd like that, Davis." She said. Kari leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. They both said their goodbyes and Kari reached for her keys. When she opened the door, she was confronted by a very worried Tai.

"Don't you think you're home a bit late?" Tai questioned. He had a small hint of anger in his voice that Kari caught onto. Kari looked at the clock on the wall and noticed the validity of Tai's statement. Kari smiled nervously at her older brother as she realized her folly.

"Sorry, Tai, I guess I lost track of time." She said sheepishly. Tai was not amused.

"I think it's time you get to bed, you have school in the morning. You're lucky that Mom and Dad are away on that business trip or you'd be in _real_ trouble." Tai said. Kari snickered inwardly at his parental behaviour.

"Tai, I think you're being a tad overprotective, don't you?" Kari asked. Tai took a deep sigh as he mentally gave up.

"Well before I forget, TK called." Said Tai. "Now I'm off to bed, goodnight." With that, Tai retired to his room. Meanwhile, Kari's eyes went wide.

"Oh no! I forgot!" She exclaimed. She made a mad dash for the phone and quickly dialled her friend's number. The phone rang five times before Kari gave up and slowly hung up the phone. She couldn't believe she could have been so careless as to forget about TK. She would never have done this before. Then it hit her - she did not even walk to school with him like she normally did, nor did she walk home with him at the end of the day. She had completely forgotten about him today. At that moment Kari reprimanded herself for being so inconsiderate. She made a mental note to apologize to TK the very next day. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

To be continued... 

This is getting harder and harder to write, believe you me! Poor TK! 

Well the part where TK says that love is a lot like life, is from my other fic "Love on a Leaf". If you haven't read it, do so soon. (*lowers head at the act of shameless self-promotion*)! I'm sure you can see the hefty foreshadowing in this chapter. Also, I'm sure you can guess who that digimon was in TK's nightmare. 

Coming Soon: Kari apologizes to TK, but he quickly forgives her. The whole group of chosen head off to the digital world for reconnaissance purposes and get caught up in a great deal of trouble. Is it Devimon up to no good? If so, who will save the day? Be sure not to miss the next chapter! 


	3. Emerging Truths

March Break continues, and so does my story. Sigh, right now I have the flu (thanks to my "dear" sister). I just hope it doesn't affect the quality of my work, because it's affecting the pace that I am writing. In this chapter, the kids finally go back into the Digital World, but are they in over their heads? What dangers await them as they search for answers to the appearance of Devimon? I really don't know why I keep on asking these questions, they're just going to end up rhetorical anyway! Sigh, oh well. Before I forget, let me mention that there will be a prophecy showing up (yes, it's one of _those_ stories!).

Disclaimer: What is this mysterious force that owns Digimon? What do they want? The only answer I can give you, sadly, is that it isn't me. _

When we last left our heroes, Kari had just realized that she has neglected TK, and she feels awful. Read and find out what happens next. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

When Kari's alarm clock rang in the morning, she literally leaped out of bed and immediately got dressed. Gatomon woke up as she was brushing her teeth and noticed her apparent rush. 

"Kari, why are you getting ready for school so quickly?" The digimon asked. "Since when were you excited to go to school?"

"I'm not, Gatomon." Kari responded. "I just have to make sure that I catch up with TK today. I feel terrible for forgetting about him yesterday. He must think I'm the worst friend alive. I can only hope that he'll forgive me."

"Don't worry so much, Kari." Gatomon assured her. "If I know TK, he wouldn't have been mad with you in the first place. He never has been mad with you before."

"Yes, but I've never given him much of a reason to be mad with me before." Kari stated. "That is until yesterday. How could I have forgotten about him? I shouldn't have been so careless."

"Kari, you're beating yourself up on this issue." Gatomon told her. "TK cares for you too much to ever stay mad at you. He told you so himself."

"How could I forget." Kari whispered. She was thankful to have someone like TK in her life. How many times had he come through for her? How many times had he been there for her? Frankly, Kari had lost count, but the most memorable was her Dark Ocean experience. He told her that he cared for her, and she reciprocated it. However, she didn't know how deeply he meant it. A thought came to mind, which Kari had to ponder over. "Nah." Kari whispered as she dismissed the idea.

"That boy cares for you too much. You could break his heart a million times, but he'll keep on forgiving you. Kari, if you only knew..." Gatomon said to herself knowing full well what was going on. Patamon had told her how TK felt for her human five years ago after their "World Tour".

"'If I only knew' what?" Kari asked.

"Err...nothing!" Gatomon quickly spat out. She took a deep sigh, which bewildered Kari. The girl would have asked further, but she was in a hurry. Without getting breakfast, Kari and Gatomon were out the door. Tai saw the sense of urgency in her sister, and shook his head to himself in disapproval of her past actions.

The younger chosen children still carried their digimon to school, and let them loose in the yard and were recollected when the children left for home or went to the Digital World. Gatomon leaped from tree to tree as Kari ran as fast as she could to meet up with TK. When he came into view, Kari noticed that he was walking slower than usual. His head was up in the clouds, and so was his digimon. Gatomon caught up to the two first and took Patamon aside so their partners could talk in private. TK knew that she was going to talk about the date she had with Davis and that she was going to apologize. TK had regained some hope yesterday thanks to Patamon, and concluded that Kari only went out on a friendly date with Davis, and that the kiss in the Digital World was just some sort of a spur of the moment type instance, where Kari was just scared and wasn't thinking.

"TK, wait up!" Kari yelled. TK stopped to let the girl regain her energy before they carried on.

"Hey, Kari." TK simply said. There was a hint of a crack in his voice that Kari could not place.

"TK...I'm so very sorry." Kari started. "Never before have I neglected you before, and yesterday that's all I did. I'm truly sorry. I was being rather selfish. I was going to call, but I forgot. I-" TK put a finger up to her lips, motioning her to be quiet.

"There is no apology necessary, Kari." Responded TK. "I could never be mad at you. I'm sure you had a plausible reason to forget." Of course, TK was acting since he knew full well what happened. Kari hung her head in shame.

"Actually, TK, I was out on a date with Davis." Kari said, sheepishly. "When we were escaping from Devimon the other day and we split up, Davis was there to comfort me when I was feeling helpless." TK winced from mentally kicking himself. "When we got back, he asked me to go out to dinner with him. I wanted to show him I was grateful for his compassion, and I wanted to get away from thinking about the Digital World for a night, so I accepted."

"So that's why you spent the whole day with him." TK said, putting up an act. "I guess every dog has its day, huh?" Kari briefly chuckled at this, but her guilt quickly stopped her. It looked like TK's suspicions were correct about it being only a friendly date.

"Under no circumstances would I ever want to be so unmindful of you or your feelings." Kari reasoned.

"Don't worry about it, Kari." TK assured her. "You needed a break from the Digital World, end of story." Kari smiled at the understanding TK in appreciation. After a moment of silence, TK's curiosity got the better of him. "Kari, what do you think of Davis?"

"Well..." Kari began. "To tell you the truth, Davis is very kind and considerate. He only cared about how I felt, and never did anything selfish. He's been very sweet recently. Also..." Kari lowered her voice. "I think I'm falling for him." With that last phrase, TK stopped cold in his tracks as his world came crashing in on him. "Is something wrong, TK?" The blonde used all his power to hold back tears. The digimon were listening in, and felt sorry for the boy. They always thought (much like everyone else except Davis) that the two were meant for each other. TK silently shook his head and kept going with a worried Kari tagging behind.

Throughout the day at school, TK remained quiet. When he got the tests back that he did the other day, his marks were much lower than usual. When his teachers asked what was wrong, he just said that he had a lot on his mind other than school. At lunch Davis had just got a call from Tai, who decided that they would all go to the Digital World after class to talk to Gennai along with the older kids. Davis noticed a hint of coldness in Tai's voice, but he shrugged it off. Davis then relayed the message to everyone at the lunch table. Kari kept on giving concerned glances at TK, who hadn't touched his lunch yet. Basketball practice was not quite the same either. TK missed every shot he made. The coach was concerned about his star player so he asked what was wrong, TK just gave the same excuse he did his teachers.

When school ended, the younger kids and their digimon went to the computer lab, and were greeted by the older generation that had been waiting for them. Without delay, they all headed off through the gate. After dusting themselves off from their fall (as usual), the older kids saw their own digimon running to greet them. They then led the children to Gennai's dwelling. As they found themselves at the edge of the lake, in which the house was situated, the water parted, allowing them access. When they opened the door, Mimi was right there to greet them. Everyone was happy to see that she could make it, considering she lived in America. Gennai then appeared right next to the girl.

"Hello again, Digidestined, it is always good to see you again." Gennai said in his raspy voice. "I only wish we could have met under less volatile circumstances. Now if you would all follow me to my computer, I have something to show you." The group moved into the room where Gennai's computer was. It was rather cramped, but the children all fit in, albeit uncomfortably. When Gennai turned his computer on, he typed in a filename. The file popped up on the screen. "Not far from here, I found this carved on a huge stone. I haven't been able to make sense of it, so I assume that it's a prophecy."

"Oh not another one!" Tai whined. Sora quickly slapped the back of his head to shut him up. Tai came to his senses. "Err...I mean...please continue!"

"That's what I thought." The old man retorted. "Anyway, allow me to read it to you, and perhaps you'll be able to make sense of it. '_A great and powerful evil will rise again from the pits of Hell. His thirst for vengeance fuels his body, and has increased his power exponentially. When the time comes, he will strike without warning. The chosen will fight valiantly, but it will not be enough. The strongest pair must take a path of which the two will not return from. Love will lead another pair down this same path, and vengeance yet another. Evil will be vanquished, but where there will be twelve to start, there will not be twelve to finish._'"

"Well I think the first part of that already came true." Replied Izzy. "Devimon is back to wreak havoc in the Digital World." The boy scratched his head in thought. "Now the strongest pair...that would have to be Tai and Agumon. Tai is the leader, and Agumon is still able to digivolve to WarGreymon. The middle doesn't seem to make much sense. As for the ending, we all know that there are twelve of us. So maybe...one or more of us won't survive this battle." Everyone exchanged worried glances. "Now my guess is Tai for sure, it says that the path he and Agumon go on will not lead to their return."

"Thanks for the support, Izzy!" Tai and Agumon said, cynically.

"According to the middle, though, it looks like two more of us will have to go through the same fate." Izzy said solemnly. "The question is who." The room went deathly silent. The children thought about who would pay the ultimate price.

"We can't worry about this now." Davis spoke up. "Right now, I think we should look around for the digimon scum, before he finds us."

"I don't know, Davis." TK debated. "That doesn't sound like a wise move, plus me and the other original Digidestined know that prophecies always are fulfilled."

"Well, TK, I'm afraid we just can't sit around waiting for him to attack us." Tai rebutted. "Davis may have something there." The other kids whispered to each other in what seemed to be an agreeing tone.

"How can you agree with that kind of plan, Tai, it's suicide!" TK yelled. "According to the prophecy, Devimon is much more powerful than he was before. He is evil incarnated into a physical form!"

"I know that you have reason to be angry about the situation, TK, given what happened all those years ago, but your feelings are clouding your judgment." Sora said calmly.

"I still think it's a bad idea." TK said, calming down.

"No one is disagreeing with you there, TK." Matt said. "However, at the moment, it's the only thing we can do." TK sighed in defeat. Even his own brother was against him.

"Fine." TK murmured coldly. "I'll go along with it, but just remember - I warned you." Everyone looked at TK with worried stares. Kari was most worried. She had never seen TK this angry before. Cody had told her about how angry he had gotten over BlackWarGreymon, but this seemed to even surpass that incident.

"Right, I propose we split up and scout around." Izzy said. "If you run into trouble, just message everyone else with your D-Terminal, and we'll come full speed." The group accepted the terms and headed their separate ways. As TK expected, Kari went off with Davis. TK didn't know why he still felt bitter. He wanted to forgive Kari, he actually _did_ forgive her, and he wanted her and Davis to be safe and happy, but it was killing him. His heart would not grant him any peace. He went off in the opposite direction from the two teens. Patamon caught on to his melancholy mood, and wanted to cheer his best friend up, but he knew that it was best if he let him think things through on his own. Patamon kept close watch on him, like the guardian angel that he is, as TK wandered aimlessly through the forest.

After a few hours of walking, Davis and Kari decided to take a rest. Kari took out some snacks she had in her backpack, and gave some to Davis. He inhaled his food, which Kari laughed at.

"Davis, it's always best to _chew_ your food before swallowing!" Kari joked.

"You seem to forget, Kari, we're in the Digital World. In one instant we could be eating, the next, we're fighting some psychopathic digimon bent on conquering two worlds." Davis defended. "Of course, I'll be able to beat 'em hands down." Veemon stared at him accusingly. "...err...with a little help from Veemon , of course!" Veemon shook his head as he gave up.

"You've got quite an interesting way of looking at things Davis!" Kari giggled. "You're always so optimistic. It reminds me of someone that I can't place my finger on." Davis looked back at her inquisitively, but didn't bother going into it.

"Thanks Kari." Davis said. "So tell me, did you have a good time last night?"

"I did Davis, thanks for making me feel special." Kari replied. "Unfortunately I forgot about the plans I had with TK. He forgave me, but I still feel guilty about letting him down."

"So, Kari, would you like to go out tomorrow night?" Davis asked innocently.

"You must be the master of good timing." Kari said sarcastically. "However, I would like to go out with you again." Davis jumped for joy as she accepted. "Now, Davis, don't you think we should be searching around for Devimon?"

"Spoil sport." Davis teased. "I was just having fun, too." Kari chuckled. "Just let Devimon come now! I'm ready for him!"

"Well then, let's see what you can do!" A familiar voice boomed out of nowhere. Kari and Davis started searching their surroundings frantically, and their digimon were poised and ready for action. All of a sudden, a ball of dark energy exploded in the children's midst. The group was thrown every single direction. Davis smashed into a tree, knocking him unconscious. Kari was flung a few yards, and skinned her elbows as she hit the ground. When she got up, she ran over to Davis and saw blood trickling down from his left temple. Davis was out cold. She looked over at the two digimon. Once Veemon came to, he ran over to his partner to try and resuscitate him.

"Are you ready Gatomon?" Kari asked. Gatomon nodded. "Right then, you'll pay for hurting Davis, Devimon! Digi-Armour Energize!" Kari's D-Terminal, and D3 started glowing. Gatomon also started to shimmer with pink light.

"Gatomon Armour Digivolve to...Nefertimon, Angel of Light!" Her partner yelled. The light dissipated, revealing the changed digimon.

"Show yourself, you coward!" Kari screamed into the forest. She heard a dark chuckle as the demon flew down from the sky, to comply with Kari's wishes. Nefertimon took flight, and was ready for action.

"Rosetta Stone!" The digimon echoed. A stone tablet was hurled at Devimon. The demon didn't even move from the trajectory of the attack. He took the assault without even flinching. Nefertimon was shocked, but she kept trying. "Queen's Paw!" She cried. The bolts of energy had no effect. Kari had a worried look on her face, as she noticed that Nefertimon was not able to do any damage.

"You call those attacks?!" Devimon bellowed. "Out of my sight, insect!" The demon raised his long arm and swatted the sphinx-like creature away. The stricken digimon plummeted to the ground. Kari ran up to her fallen friend just as she went back to her Gatomon state. "Was that it?" Devimon asked. "I would expect that the Child of Light would provide more of a challenge." Kari stared daggers at her aggressor, as she took her digimon in her hand. She had several bruises, but the cat was still conscious.

"I've got to protect you, Kari." Gatomon said weakly. "He cannot be allowed to get you."

"No, Gatomon." Kari said, with tears in her eyes. "You're too badly hurt." Gatomon paid her no heed, and leaped out of her arms.

"Lightning Claw!" Gatomon said weakly.

"Heh, pathetic." Devimon said. He caught the feline in his hands, and proceeded to squeeze. The battered digimon cried out in pain. Kari cried out in horror and empathy.

_We need help!_ She thought. _TK, help!_ The blonde was the only on that came to mind in her hour of need. She prayed that somehow, he would come and save them.

TK was still wandering around the forest deep in thought when a cold shudder came over him. TK stopped walking, and then looked around.

"Patamon, did you just feel a cold breeze go by?" TK asked.

"Well it's odd that you would mention that, TK." Patamon replied. "I thought I felt something too." TK started pacing about as he tried to figure it out. It was hard for him to think when all he could think of was Kari. Then it hit him.

"Kari!" TK yelled out loud. "She must be in trouble. We've got to save her!" He reached for his D-Terminal. After sending the message to everyone, he looked over to Patamon. His partner nodded back at him. "Digi-Armour Energize!" Patamon glowed with golden energy as he went through his metamorphosis.

"Pegasusmon, Flying Hope!" The digimon cried. TK climbed on his back, and they were off. As he was up in the air with his partner, he saw some of his friends. Birdramon, Kabuterimon, and WarGreymon (along with their respective partners) were flying full speed towards an apparent spot that seemed to be draped in darkness. TK looked down on the ground and saw Togemon, Ikkakumon, and Garurumon running as fast as they could. When they had gathered in the location, they saw Gatomon - no - Salamon being thrashed about. Kari was pleading with the demon, but it was no use. They also noticed that Davis was right next to her, but was not moving. Tai had just about enough. Prophecy or no prophecy, he was not about to let such a horror go unpunished. The demon looked at the new arrivals and smiled devilishly. He tossed the battered rookie on the ground, which Kari ran to, as he prepared for the other chosen.

"WarGreymon!" Tai yelled. "Stop him!" The mega digimon complied and began his attack. Energy started crackling in the palm of his hand as he powered up.

"Terra Force!" The warrior cried as he threw the gathered energy with all his might. The attack connected with its target, and a huge explosion resulted. Tai cheered at the success. There was no way that a champion digimon could survive the attack of a mega. The dust and smoke cleared from the area, but much to the surprise of everyone, Devimon was still standing!

"Impossible!" Izzy yelled. "There is no way that he could have sustained such a hit with so little damage present!"

"Surprised, Digidestined? Don't be, I have become much more powerful then I was during our original confrontation." The demon laughed out loud.

"Of course!" Izzy remembered. "The prophecy said that his powers have grown, but I didn't expect that they would have grown large enough to withstand a mega digimon."

"Now I think it is time I gave a full demonstration of what I am capable of." Said Devimon. With a mighty swing of his arm, he batted WarGreymon away. Devimon looked at the other digimon. "Pathetic champion digimon. You were not able to defeat me the first time we met, and you surely will not defeat me now!" With a surge of darkness emanating from his being, the digimon felt weak. The darkness was draining their energy. The children watched in horror as their digimon were reduced to rookies once more. Only Pegasusmon were left standing. "Now for you." The demon sneered. As he was about to reach out to the armour digimon, Devimon was tackled to the ground. He looked up and saw WarGreymon above him charging his energy again. "How dare you!" The evil digimon bellowed. He raised his arm at WarGreymon and struck the mega with a beam of darkness. The attack connected and caused the warrior to fall. WarGreymon staggered to his feet, but the pain was too much. He collapsed on the ground, and reverted back to Agumon.

"I'm sorry, Tai." He quietly groaned, as he slipped out of consciousness. Tai was dumbfounded. The leader was out of ideas. TK and Pegasusmon had just about enough.

"I know how you feel about me fighting Devimon, but we have to do this to save our friends." Pegasusmon said as he changed back into Patamon.

"What other choice do I have." TK said quietly to himself. He then looked at his antagonist with a determination in his eyes. "You are pure evil, and surge with the powers of darkness. I cannot allow you to exist."

"Who are you to say who is not allowed to exist, when you are so weak!" Devimon yelled back. TK stared daggers at the beast as he looked back at Patamon.

"Digivolve!" TK shouted. His D3 started glowing bright as he yelled. Patamon was then enveloped by a pillar of light.

"Patamon Digivolve to...Angemon!" The holy digimon now stood in Patamon's place. He glowed with the powers of hope. "Devimon, your presence in the Digital World upsets the balance. I have no other alternative, but to destroy you." Devimon laughed at this.

"Oh how long I have waited for this day!" The demon said. "The day when I would finally have my revenge! I will not allow this battle to end up the same way it did before. This time I will be victorious!"

"We will see about that, demon!" Angemon yelled. He raised his staff and prepared to attack. "Angel Rod!" Devimon was ready for his attack, and blocked the staff with his arm. He then grabbed it with his claws. A short tug-of-war ensued. Devimon proved to be the stronger of the two as he pulled the weapon away from the angel. With a huge grin on his face, Devimon snapped the rod in two and tossed it aside. "Foul beast, I will stop you no matter what the cost!" Angemon made a fist and arched it back. "Hand of Fate!"

"Your powers are no match for my darkness!" Devimon retorted. He then focused his dark energy in a beam once more as he fired it towards Angemon. The opposite energies collided with a great force. For a while, the energies were of equal strength. Devimon thought back to their previous encounter. How he had suffered defeat, at the hands of the forces of goodness. His anger and thirst for revenge fuelled him as his power intensified. The dark energy finally overpowered Angemon's attack, and went back in the holy warrior's direction. All Angemon could do is gasp as he was blasted from the sky. The fallen hero reverted back into his rookie form and collided with the earth. He began to phase-shift out of reality - a sure sign of deletion. TK feared that this would happen. He ran over to his beaten comrade as fast as he could.

"TK, what are you doing?!" Kari yelled. "Get out of there before you get yourself killed!" TK didn't listen. He didn't want his friend to leave him again. He cradled his friend in his arms as tears streamed down his face.

"I told you not to fight." TK sobbed. "I don't want to lose you again." His partner struggled to make eye contact with him.

"Remember what I told you, TK." The digimon said weakly. "If it meant saving your life, I would do it a million times over." Patamon then became very still. TK feared the worst, as he broke down and cried.

"Well this is all so very touching!" Devimon mocked. "It is time for my revenge to be complete. Say good-bye to your hope, children!" Devimon released a ball of energy that hurtled toward TK and Patamon. The energy exploded as it hit its target...

"TK!!!!!" Kari yelled. Everyone else was in a similar state of shock. She tried to run to where the attack hit, but Tai restrained her. She tried to escape his grip, but she was overpowered. Finally she gave in to her sorrow and started bawling, realizing TK was no more.

_When TK opened his eyes, all he saw around him was white light, and he was floating in the midst of it. He started looking around, but found nothing in the apparent void._

_"What's going on here?" He asked to no one in particular. "The last thing I remember was Devimon's attack." Then it hit him. "Am I dead?" He received no reply. "So that's it then, I failed. I failed to protect my digimon, my friends, and the world we live in." The boy hung his head in defeat. All of a sudden, he heard something calling his name. It was faint at first, so he couldn't make out who it was, but then the voice became louder and TK noticed that the voice was very familiar._

_"Takeru..." The voice echoed. A figure appeared in front of TK. The boy smiled as he saw that it was Patamon. At least...he thought it was Patamon. "Takeru...if given a second, anyone can give up and run, so just keep on walking." The light flashed brightly, and in Patamon's place was Pegasusmon. "There's something that only you can do so that both worlds don't lose their light." The space flashed again, as TK found himself staring at Angemon. "Seize the dreams you had! Protect your beloved friends! You can become stronger." Once again, the space flashed, revealing MagnaAngemon. "Unknown power dwells in your heart. When it's fire is lit, any wish will surely be granted, so show me your brave heart."_

_Patamon was going through a similar experience. A voice kept calling out to him._

_"Patamon..." The voice echoed. Patamon was then confronted with a four-year-old TK. The boy giggled. "Not everyday is sunny, so even when a cold rain is falling, just open an umbrella." The abyss flashed, and TK at the age of eight stood in front of him. "There's no map on how to live, and that's why we're free. You can go anywhere." The image flashed again, and Patamon found himself looking at TK at the age of twelve. "Run faster than the wind! Aim farther than the skies! You can meet a new you." The image flashed again, and Patamon was faced with the present day TK. "Unknown courage sleeps in your heart. When you realize this, the sorrow in your soul will surely stop, so show me your brave heart."_

_Suddenly, the real TK and the real Patamon were reunited. The blonde hugged his digimon tightly, now knowing that he was ok. The space flashed once more. Before the two friends stood a small boy. He had brown hair and blue eyes, which TK found to be a strange combination. The boy looked at the two and smiled._

_"Seize the bright tomorrow! Protect the ones you love! You can become stronger. Break that weak self! Destroy the walls blocking you! The warm beat of your heart will be your weapon, so believe in your heart." The pair looked at each other in bewilderment. The image started to fade, but the voice still echoed. "Believe..."_

_"Well Patamon, I think I can speak for both of us when I say that this battle is far from over." TK said._

_"You're right, TK." Patamon replied. "There are too many counting on us. I - no - we must fight to make sure that we do not let them down!" TK's pocket started to shine very brightly. He took out the source of the light - his D3._

_"The time to fight is now!" They both shouted. Immediately the light overcame the both of them as they began to change._

_"Patamon BioMerge to..." TK fell back to his partner as energy crackled in between them. Patamon's stubby appendages were replaced with more human-like ones. Shining, royal blue and sparkling silver armour covered the figure, with the Crest of Hope emblazoned on the breastplate. Two membrane wings became six sings, which became eight wings, which then became ten glorious, golden wings. Patamon's face was replaced with Angemon's, then the face of MagnaAngemon, finally a face covered by a sleek helmet appeared. TK's image flashed across the armour for a brief moment before fading into it. The figure started stirring with signs of life. The evolution was complete. "...Seraphimon."_

A brilliant light shone before the other chosen. They covered their eyes, while Devimon winced in pain. The light faded, and its place stood the majestic, holy angel.

"It can't be." Kari said in shock. "Seraphimon?" The girl had remembered the final stage of Patamon from when they fought the infected Kerpymon in Colorado.

"Prodigious!" Izzy said. "They're alright! Now where's TK?"

"I don't see him anywhere." Said Joe.

"Where could he have gone?" Inquired Mimi. "It's not like he could have vanished."

"Devimon, we are now fighting together to bring about your end. You cannot win. The powers of light will triumph like they always have before." Said the harmonious, dual voice of Seraphimon. The demon sneered at his adversary.

"We?" Matt wondered. "What does he mean by that?" The answer dawned on them all.

"It can't be." Ken said. "Yet there it is in front of our eyes."

"TK and Patamon have become one." Cody stated.

"Perhaps this is what the prophecy meant by the strongest pair." Said Izzy. "Well if that's true then-"

"-Patamon...and TK _will_ die." Kari barely finished. Tears flowed down the girl's cheek. She did not want to lose TK.

"You talk big, but how well do you fight!" Devimon yelled as he rushed the angel.

"You fool." Seraphimon said quietly. He gathered energy in front of him. "Seven Heavens!" Devimon stopped cold as seven balls of energy flew at him. He managed to dodge the first three, but the remainder of the attack struck him down. Seraphimon flew down to where he landed and made a fist. "Hallowed Knuckle!" was shouted as the angel started assaulting the demon with powerful punches. The demon was losing strength as he thought of a way to escape his predicament. He knew full well that Seraphimon was too powerful a foe, so he had to distract him. With the last ounce of his power, Devimon blinded the angel and everyone else with a flash of energy. When their sight was restored, the villain was gone.

"Well we drove Devimon off, but what happens now?" Said Yolei. The group looked at the mighty angel. All of a sudden, he began to phase-shift. Starting from his feet, Seraphimon started fragmenting into data. Kari was at a loss for words as she saw her friend dissolve before her eyes. She cried into Tai's chest, unable to watch. When the fragmentation was complete, a glorious light came from nowhere. The light was followed by an explosion of feathers. The group looked on in wonder, and Kari turned her head to see what was going on. When the light grew dim, a figure started floating down to the ground. It was TK...and yet, it wasn't. It looked like TK, but he was much taller, his hair was much longer and golden, and he had a pair of angel wings on his back. When the boy touched the ground, he instinctively recalled his wings back into his body. He inspected his hands. Then a voice whispered inside his head.

_"Thank you for believing." Patamon said._

_"Thank you for helping me save my friends, Patamon." Thought TK. "What happens now, though?"_

_"Well, I am now a part of you, TK." Patamon answered. "We are one in the same. Though I will not be around physically anymore, I will always be with you. You will have to carry on our goal from now on."_

_"Right." TK thought. "We must vanquish the forces of evil, for the sake of everyone we hold dear."_

_"I knew I could count on you, TK." Patamon replied. "Remember, I will be forever with you. This is not goodbye. This is not an ending, but a beginning..."_

TK opened his eyes and stared at his friends.

"TK...is that you?" Kari asked.

"In the flesh!" TK joked. Kari ran up to him and embraced him tightly.

"TK, I thought you were going to die!" Kari yelled with tears in her eyes. "Don't you ever scare me like that again!"

"I promise." TK said solemnly. Kari let go of him as Izzy approached him. Apparently, his voice had become deeper, too.

"Remarkable, I believe we misinterpreted the prophecy." Izzy stated. "We thought that you were going to die, but obviously we were mistaken. By the way, what happened to Patamon?" TK looked up to the heavens.

"He's a part of me now." TK said. "We are one in the same."

"Now I get it!" Announced Izzy. "The _two_ of you did not return from your 'path', just a combined form, that is neither purely TK, nor purely Patamon."

"That seems just about right." TK said. "Now I think it's time we head home." Everyone nodded in agreement. They picked up their digimon, and were about to leave when they heard some groaning.

"My head!" Davis murmured. "What happened?" He looked around. He then caught a glimpse of TK and his mouth went agape. "TK, what happened to you?!" TK chuckled nervously.

"It's a long story, Davis, for now let's just leave." TK said. With that, the group left for home. When TK got home, he was glad that his mom was busy at the office. She never was around that often, and TK was thankful that he didn't have to explain his appearance any time soon.

The following day at school, TK spent his lunch in the library, studying for a future test. He paid no heed to the weird glances he was getting over his new appearance from the students and teachers. Someone approached the desk he was working at. When TK looked up, he was face-to-face with Davis.

"I would never think of seeing you here, Davis." TK said indifferently. Davis chuckled quickly. He saw the boy was busy, so he planned on being brief.

"Listen, TK." Davis began. "I want to thank you for saving us back there. I was careless, and because of this, I nearly endangered Kari. I'm grateful for what you and Patamon did."

"Davis, I do not approve of the way you handled the situation, Kari could have gotten a lot more than skinned elbows." TK coldly replied. Davis thought that TK would be more forgiving, and not overprotective.

"What are you? Her Brother?" Davis joked.

"Apparently that's how she thinks of me." TK silently replied. Then it hit Davis. He really did _love_ Kari. Davis felt ashamed.

"TK I never-" Davis started.

"She chose." TK said quickly. "Just make sure that nothing happens to her." TK then focused back on his work. Davis backed away from the desk, while keeping his eyes fixated on the blonde. Guilt swelled up in the brunette's heart as he came into full view of the situation. TK was taking the truth better than he would have if places were reversed. He admired TK's strength, but felt sorry for the boy's misfortune.

"I'm sorry, TK." Davis whispered as he left the library.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

To be continued... 

If you thought that was something, remember that the prophecy's not even complete yet! The question remains...who (if anyone) gets the axe? *ominous music plays* 

Well now you see where I got the title. For those of you who don't know, the vision that TK and Patamon had was sort of songfic-ish. It is the translation of the Japanese song, "Brave Heart", which is also significant in its own right, since its the theme for evolution in season one. 

Coming Soon: Kari comes to her senses! (about damn time, too, eh?) The prophecy continues, and so do the surprises! Devimon reappears knowing that Seraphimon is no more. Can this new TK be of any help to the group? Does he have any power that he can call upon? If so, will it be enough to stop Devimon? Review and share your thoughts.


	4. Awakening of Love

Well that last chapter was rather...long, wasn't it? Do you see what happens when you're drugged up on Dimetapp? Ah well, at least it ended. The prophecy continues along with the story, and new surprises await.

Disclaimer: For ownership of Digimon, I challenge Toei to a race around the world! *Jumps in a hot air balloon, and laughs maniacally.* Ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Well now that the flu and some of my dementia are out of my system, I can continue. When we last left the story, a prophecy was given to the Digidestined, and quite a bit of it has already come true. Devimon has attacked the children, but TK and Patamon have saved them by fusing together. They have driven off the devil, for now. Davis has also learned about TK's true feelings for Kari. As Kari goes through her personal revelations, what will be the reaction of TK _and_ Davis? Also, when Devimon strikes next, how will the Digidestined fight against him knowing that their digimon are useless, and Seraphimon is no more? The story is waiting to be read...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was Friday evening, which meant that Kari and Davis were on their second date. This time, Davis had taken her to a local fun fair, but judging by the look on Kari, it did not seem like she was having much fun.

"What's the matter, Kari?" Davis asked. "Is there something on your mind you would like to talk about?" Kari snapped out of her trance.

"What? Oh, I'm sorry Davis." She apologized. "I just have something on my mind." Davis sighed and shook his head, as the girl repeated him.

"Care to go share your thoughts?" He requested. "You seem to have enough for yourself, alone."

"I don't exactly know what is bothering me right now, Davis." Kari replied. "However, don't chalk that up to me not having a good time, because I am. You were always so kind to me. Just like..." Kari scratched her head. "...I can't place a name."

"Like TK?" Davis sighed. "I think you meant TK."

"Exactly." Kari responded. "I don't know why I've been so absent minded these past few days. It's as if there was a heavy fog in my mind."

"When did you start feeling clouded?" He questioned.

"I'd say around the same time Devimon showed up." Kari replied. Davis started looking serious.

"Tell me, Kari, what do you think of me?" The boy asked.

"Well, Davis, you're charming, optimistic, funny, sweet, and are just an all-around great guy." Kari listed. Davis smiled. "In fact, you're just like TK." Kari regretted saying that last bit, and was not exactly sure why she did. Davis stopped smiling.

"Actually Kari, what I meant to ask is: how do you feel about me?" Asked Davis. The girl lowered her head and thought. "Well, Kari, it's no secret how I feel about you. I love you, Hikari Kamiya. I've never been so certain in my life about anything, but I know that my love for you is true." The girl was taken aback.

"Davis...I...don't know what to say." Kari replied with a shocked tone.

"Say how you feel." Davis stated.

"How I feel?" Kari said. Davis nodded. "That question came up very suddenly. I...don't really know, Davis. I really like you, but...I just don't know." The girl hung her head in shame as she let the tears out. "I'm sorry, Davis, I have to go home." With that, the girl ran to the exit, and ran out of sight. Davis just stood there.

"What have I done?" He asked himself. Out of sheer coincidence, Sora was at the fair and happened to be in earshot of the pair. She tried to process the thought of Kari on a date with Davis. (A/N: aren't we all!)

When Kari got home, she rushed to her bedroom so that way she would not have to confront Tai. She carefully laid herself on her bed so she would not disturb the sleeping Salamon, who was far too weak to do much of anything from her prior ordeal. She stared up at the ceiling as she thought about what she just did.

"Why did I just do that to Davis?" She asked herself. "I really do like him a lot, but do I love him? This is too confusing! Why would I have second thoughts about Davis, after all he's done for me? I really need help. I guess I'll have to talk to Sora about this. Perhaps she can shed some light on these issues."

The following morning, Kari picked up the phone and dialled Sora's number. It rang twice before she heard the other end pick up. Sora's mother answered the phone.

"Hello, Takenouchi Flowers, how may I help you?" The woman greeted.

"Hello, Mrs. Takenouchi, it's Kari." Kari responded.

"Oh, hello Kari!" The woman said cheerfully. "Would you like to speak to Sora?"

"Yes I would, thanks." Kari said.

"One moment then, let me fetch her." Sora's mother stated. Kari listened to the muffled sound of talking as Sora picked up the phone.

"Hey, Kari!" Sora greeted. "You saved me the trouble of calling you. I saw you last evening at the fair, and heard everything. I didn't mean to eavesdrop of course, I just happened to be there at the time. You seemed rather upset."

"Yeah, that's what I wanted to talk to you about." Kari replied.

"Well you can come over any time today, if you wish." Sora said.

"Thanks Sora, I'll see you soon, bye." Said Kari.

"Talk to you later." Ended Sora. Kari hung up the phone and proceeded to get ready after having her breakfast.

At the Motimiya residence, Davis was wide awake in his bed. Usually he would be fast asleep still since it was a Saturday morning, but his thoughts (combined with DemiVeemon's loud snoring) disallowed him any peace. He reflected on his date.

"I think I came on pretty strong last night." He uttered. "I just hope that I haven't ruined what me and Kari have by being so stupid. I don't know what would happen if she didn't feel the same way. I don't want to end up being hurt like TK." The boy thought about what she said. "She said I reminded her of TK. That's probably who she meant those other times, too. Does this mean she likes TK more? It can't be, we've already went on a couple of dates, plus we kissed when we were in the Digital World. I am just so confused." Davis thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his father.

"Davis, wake up!" Mr. Motimiya yelled through his door. "I need you to help me carry some file cabinets from work today, so I can organize my desk at home." Davis let out an annoyed sigh. He didn't feel like doing menial labour at the moment, but he complied.

"Alright!" Davis yelled back. "Just give me a second to get ready."

Elsewhere, on the top of Heightonview Terrace, a black figure gave a thorough panoramic scan of Odaiba.

"That blasted BlackWarGreymon had my work cut out for me by sealing this gate. Thankfully there were several other ways to enter this world." The voice said quietly. "This world is filled with so much life. I shall enjoy causing darkness and destruction upon these people!" The figure let out a maniacal laugh.

Meanwhile, at Sora's apartment, Kari was greeted at the door by Mimi.

"Mimi, you seem to pop up everywhere! What are you doing here?" Kari asked, surprised.

"Well my family's here on a short trip for the weekend, so I stopped by Sora's apartment." Mimi continued. "I was going to surprise everyone tonight, but I guess you get to learn about it early. Now if you want to talk to Sora, she's in the living room. If you'll excuse me, I'm going shopping!" Kari shook her head at the fact that some things never changed. Mimi left in a rush, as Kari took off her shoes. As she came in the living room, she was greeted by Sora.

"You look very tired, Kari." Sora stated.

"I haven't gotten much sleep." Kari responded. "I had a lot of questions on my mind that I think you can answer."

"Why me?" Sora asked.

"Well my questions are based on love and emotions." Kari answered.

"I see." Sora realized. "So what has been troubling you?"

"Well recently, I have started going out with Davis." Kari began. "We've only been on two dates so far...but I think it would be best if I started from the beginning. When we were first being chased by Devimon, TK proposed that we split up. I was really scared at the time, because Gatomon was badly bruised from giving us time to escape. Patamon was in no better condition since he helped."

"Did TK go with you?" Sora asked. Kari shook her head.

"No, TK proposed that Davis and Ken go with me." Kari stated.

"I see." Sora replied. She clued into what TK was doing. She knew that TK would never break the promise that he made to her all those years ago, intentionally. "How badly injured were Wormmon and Veemon?"

"They were somewhat bruised, but I think they had enough energy to defend us for a while." Kari told. "As I was saying, after we split up and my group got to the gate, we started looking around to see if the others had arrived. Ken proposed that Davis stick with me. I was very scared at the time, but Davis was there to comfort me. He was very sweet. I don't know why, but I kissed him shortly afterwards. When we went back home, I found myself spending a lot of time with Davis. In fact, I forgot about plans I had with TK when I made a date with Davis. I felt guilty for neglecting TK, but he said no apology was necessary. He then asked me what I thought about Davis, and I told him that I thought I was falling for him. During the rest of the day, though, TK started acting really distant. Then when we all went to the Digital World the other day, I went along with Davis. We were not paying attention to what we were doing, and we got attacked, and...well you know what happened next. TK came and saved us all. When me and Davis went on our second date last night, something felt a little off. I felt different from when we first went out. It felt really weird. So Sora, why do you think I did what I did to Davis last night." Sora took all of this information into her head, and thought out the best possible response.

"I know that you're not sure how you feel about Davis, but tell me, how do you feel about TK?" Asked Sora.

"TK?" Kari questioned. "Why would you ask me how I feel about him?" Sora just stared at her silently. Kari took a hint and continued. "All right! Five years ago, I had the biggest crush on him. You remember what I told you about the Dark Ocean incident?" Sora nodded. "Well TK said he cared for me, and that made me feel so happy inside, but nothing further happened and I concluded that TK meant it only in a platonic sense. Why would he be in love with me? What proof do I have of such a love?"

"I'm sorry Kari." Sora whispered.

"For what, Sora?" Kari asked.

"For this!" Sora rapidly replied, as she quickly raised her hand and slapped Kari hard across the cheek. Kari quickly put her hand up to her face and massaged the red area. She looked back at Sora in shock.

"What did you do that for?!" Kari demanded.

"Kari, it hurt for me to do that to you. You're like a little sister to me, but you needed a serious awakening!" Sora snapped. Kari looked at her with a confused expression. "How could you not think that TK loves you?! That boy would easily give up his life for you! If it wasn't for him, you would not even be here today! Do you not remember when we were facing Piedmon, when TK refused to let you go, even if it meant that he would die?! I don't know if you know this, but I made him promise to look after you. He was willing to oblige, and he took that promise very seriously. Do you not remember when you were stuck in the Dark Ocean how TK came and rescued you?! I was told how guilty he felt, because he thought he should have been there for you more, because he still was trying to fulfill his promise to me. Then, according to your story, he comes and saves you from the darkness. Lately, he's only seen you and Davis together, and you ask why he's been distant?! I'm sure he was going through so much torment. Then, despite you neglecting him, he forgives you anyway! Finally, TK was the one who contacted the rest of us in the Digital World when you two were in danger. I asked him how he knew afterwards, and he told me that somehow he sensed you were in danger. Tell me, Hikari Kamiya, if this is not proof enough!" Kari was absolutely speechless. She let the older girl's verbal barrage sink in.

"I knew about the promise he made you, but I never thought he would have took it seriously enough to keep it up to this day." Kari began quietly. "Yet, he's saved my life countless times. No wonder he's the only one I call for whenever I'm in danger. Like the time in the Dark Ocean. TK was the one I called for the most, and just when I thought no one would come, he comes out of nowhere on a flying horse - like some heroic champion come to rescue his princess. Who would have known he took it so hard when I disappeared. He really did care for me more than I though he did. Now lately, I caused him nothing but anguish by draping myself over Davis and...dear God! I told TK that I was falling for Davis! Oh that must have hurt him so badly. Then he acts like a perfect gentleman and forgives me while hiding his pain so I wouldn't feel bad. Finally he comes and saves me again when I was sure that I was going to die, by fusing with Patamon, thus changing his life forever, and yet I still never fully thanked him and I still went out again with Davis. What have I done, Sora?! How could I have been so blind? I caused him so much pain, but he still loves me."

"Well in all fairness, I guess, you were scared and vulnerable when you guys were being chased by Devimon." Sora replied. "I'm sure you were very impressionable at the time, and were desperate for comfort."

"However it wasn't fair to Davis." Kari said. "I used him, and exploited his feelings. How could I have been so selfish?" Kari burst into tears. Sora leaned over and let the girl cry on her shoulder.

"It's all right now." Sora hushed. "What's important is that you got your questions answered, and that you now know what you must do." Kari wiped away the moisture on her face and looked at Sora.

"You're right, Sora. It's time I made up for the wrongs I did to TK and Davis. God help me if they can ever forgive me." Kari replied. "Thank you for listening." The younger girl headed for the door.

"I'm glad I could be of help, Kari." Sora responded. The two said their goodbyes as Kari went on her way home.

When the girl reached her apartment, she went straight to her bedroom to check up on Salamon. As she opened the door, she noticed the digimon was bouncing on her bed. Kari was glad that her friend was feeling better. Kari then reached for her phone.

"Who are you calling?" Salamon asked.

"I'm calling TK." Kari replied. "It's important that I get to talk to him. I've made a lot of mistakes, and I need to apologize." Salamon smiled, now knowing that her partner had come to her senses.

"What about Davis?" The digimon asked.

"I'll call him later tonight." Kari said. She dialled TK's number. Unexpectedly enough, the boy's mother answered the phone.

"Hello, Nancy Takaishi speaking." The woman greeted.

"Hi, Ms. Takaishi, it's Kari. Is TK home?" Kari asked.

"Well hello, Kari. No I'm afraid he just stepped out, but he'll be back in an hour." Nancy replied. "By the way, have you noticed something different about TK. He's gotten very secretive ever since two days ago, and I don't get a chance to even see him. I finally caught a glimpse of TK today as he rushed out the door, but he looked...different. Do you know anything about it, Kari?" The young girl on the other end just laughed nervously.

"I'm sure TK will explain everything when he gets home." Kari replied.

"He better have a quick explanation, because I'm off to work soon after he gets back home." Nancy stated.

"Of course, Ms. Takaishi. Thanks for your time." Kari ended. They said goodbye as they both hung up their phones.

The sun was shining brightly as Kari found herself a block away from the place where TK lived. For the first time for the day, Kari found herself smiling. She allowed Salamon to tag along, knowing that the digimon needed some time to play outdoors. She let Salamon play outside of TK's apartment complex while she continued on. Now that her mind was clear and the fog was lifted, she could finally listen to her heart. She thought of possible things to say. She allowed two hours to go by - one for TK to get home, another for TK's interesting explanation to his mother on the way he looks. When she got to the apartment, Kari rang the bell, and TK answered.

"Hi, Kari." TK greeted. "My mom said you called, come on in." Kari came in and took off her shoes. They both sat down on the large couch in the sitting area.

"So how did she take it?" Kari asked with overwhelming curiosity.

"It would be an understatement if I just said that she freaked." TK sighed. Kari giggled at his problem. "Eventually, she just accepted what happened, rather than have me explain in detail. She told me that she could never understand how the Digital World works."

"Well I think we're all still stuck in that same boat." Kari added, to which TK nodded. "Even now, as I look at you, I can see that the Digital World never ceases to amaze me." TK blushed at her staring.

"So why did you come over, Kari?" The boy asked.

"Well, TK." Kari sighed. "The reason I came over is that recently I've had a lot on my mind, and I just came over to share a few words with you." TK listened intently. Kari thought carefully, because she did not want to just jump into the subject. "You see, TK, ever since Devimon returned, I've not been thinking clearly. Today, I finally opened my eyes to reality." TK became confused as he saw the girl's eyes begin to tear up. Kari did not care about composing her thoughts anymore, and started to speak from the heart. That's when it all came out. "TK...I've been a fool, a selfish fool! All along I never saw how much you cared about me until today. I am so sorry, TK. I was blind to your heart, while at the same time I wasn't true to my own."

"What are you trying to say?" TK asked.

_Here goes._ Kari thought as she took a deep breath. "TK, I l-" A loud explosion occurred outside of the building, cutting Kari's sentence off and shattering the glass in the windows. Both teens stood up and looked outside. The sky had grown incredibly dark. Then, the two heard the foulest laughter, and immediately knew who it was. Kari remembered something. "Oh no! Salamon!" The two of them bolted out to the front of the building and noticed the rookie hiding in a tree. Kari let out a great sigh as she saw that her friend was safe. Salamon leaped out of the tree and into Kari's arms. Kari knew that the little creature was too weak to fight, so she held on to her friend tightly. The three of them looked up in the air and saw the black figure flying a few stories up. Kari looked on in horror. "This is bad. We never would have thought that he would have been able to cross the gate." TK nodded in agreement. Devimon saw them on the ground. He slowly descended closer.

"You better call the others." TK said. Kari complied and pulled out her D-Terminal. She quickly typed in a distress message and sent it to all the others. Devimon noticed this and sneered.

"I'm afraid that will not be of any use." The demon stated. "Unfortunately, your friends are...well...detained at the moment." They went wide-eyed.

"What have you done with our friends?!" TK demanded.

"Quit your snivelling, human!" Devimon yelled. "Your friends are safe...for now. Once I came to this world, I started collecting, and I've put them on display at the top of that tall structure over there." He pointed over to Heightonview Terrace. "I've already got nine, but I would like to complete the set!" TK put himself in front of Kari and stared back at the fiend.

"Not while I'm still standing, Devimon!" TK screamed. All of a sudden, a golden aura came about the boy, and his wings quickly emerged from his body in a flash of feathers. Using the instincts of Patamon, TK took flight with ease. Devimon laughed particularly at Salamon.

"Have you become so weak that you need your humans to save you?!" Devimon chuckled. "I must say that I am not surprised. You did not look like you could put up much of a fight anyway!" Salamon just growled at Devimon and tried to struggle out of Kari's arms, but it was no use. Devimon was looking rather smug until he was blindsided and was hit to the ground. He looked up quickly at his attacker. TK stared daggers back at him.

"Foul beast!" TK yelled with a hint of Patamon's voice joining his own. "If you did not even belong in the Digital World, what makes you think that you have a place in this one?!" Devimon's rage began to build. He spread his dark wings and rushed at the airborne TK at full speed. With deadly speed and accuracy, the demon brandished his claws and swiped at TK's chest. It easily ripped through the cloth he was wearing and penetrated his flesh. TK groaned in pain as five great scars appeared on his front. Blood was slowly oozing from his wounds. Kari gasped as the fight unfolded before her eyes. TK quickly looked back at her and smiled in an attempt to convince her that he was alright. Pain or no pain, he had to continue fighting to protect Kari. TK felt energy building up inside of him that begged to be released. He listened to his heart and focused. Soon enough, golden energy pulsated in front of the earthly angel. When he was satisfied, he released it in Devimon's direction. The villain was surprised that the boy was capable of such power, but was not psyched out. He quickly produced a similar power comprised of his own brand of dark energy, and shot it at TK. The two powers collided and caused a massive explosion that blinded the sight of everyone who looked on. When TK removed his hand from his face, he saw the demon charge at him again. This time TK was ready for him. When Devimon raised his claws, TK raised his hands and clasped them with Devimon's. A test of strength broke out as both parties began to squeeze the other's hands. However, TK was injured, and his previous attack weakened him even further. Unfortunately, the boy could only do so much because of his inexperience with his new form. Soon enough, the fiend was gaining the upper hand, and started to squeeze even harder. TK heard some of his bones breaking, as his hands gave up on him. TK started to scream in pain as Devimon continued.

"No, stop it." Kari whispered quietly. She then gained some more confidence. "STOP IT!" Devimon did not listen and then hurled the boy down to the ground. His body cracked the pavement when he hit. More bones in his body also suffered the same outcome. The boy shuddered in agony. Kari started crying for her friend as she and Salamon ran up to TK. "You promised me that you wouldn't do something like this again." Kari whispered as she sobbed. She examined the cuts on the boy's chest, which looked very severe. TK was losing blood and losing energy at a rapid rate. He had to get medical attention soon. "TK, I can't lose you now, not when I'm so sure now. I love you, TK." She embraced her fallen hero with tears flowing from her eyes. TK managed to crack a bit of a smile. Devimon was not amused and let loose a beam of darkness. TK saw this as he lay on the ground. With his last ounce of strength, he threw Kari and her digimon aside while the attack hit him. Kari let out a bloodcurdling scream as the blast connected. When the dust settled, TK was not moving.

"Finally my revenge on the Child of Hope is complete!" Devimon cheered. "With him gone, no human or digimon will dare stand in my way as I conquer both worlds!" Kari looked up at him and stood to her feet from where she landed. Her knees were bruised and it hurt to move her legs, but she did not care.

"I dare stand in your way, you twisted monster!" Kari screamed.

"I dare, too!" Salamon squeaked. Devimon looked down at them and licked his lips.

"I commend your bravery, human, but you will die in vain!" Devimon boomed.

"You're wrong!" The two said in unison.

"Fools!" Devimon yelled. "So be it! Worthless digimon, you and your pathetic wretch of a human will share the same fate as your fallen champion!" He unleashed a blast at the pair. Kari closed her eyes as the attack hit...

_When Kari opened her eyes again, she was in a white void. She feared the worst when no one answered her calls and thought she was dead. "I've failed TK and everyone else. I deserve this." Kari let a single tear fall from her cheek. Suddenly, she heard a faint voice. It grew louder and echoed._

_"Hikari..." The voice called. Out of nowhere an image of Salamon appeared in front of her. Hikari tried to hug her, but her hands went through. The image began to speak. "Hikari...t__hings that have physical shape aren't all there is to it. If you clear your heart, you can see lots of things." The image flashed and Kari was faced with Nefertimon. The armour digimon stretched her wings. "On nights when you feel like crying, wondering 'why did this happen?'...don't. It's still too early to close your eyes." Nefertimon's image was then replaced with that of Gatomon. "Holy light, shine softly in the darkness, and show us tomorrow's path." Finally, Angewomon was displayed. "Holy light, please give me courage, to face the future."_

_Salamon was off in her own void when a voice beckoned her._

_"Salamon..." The voice echoed. The digimon looked around. She was startled by the image of a younger version of Kari - Kari at four years of age. The image spoke again. "Salamon...There are times when only sad premonitions come true, but we must travel everywhere, searching for happiness." The image flashed and became that of Kari at eight. "Words aren't enough. On days when I pass someone, I still believe that everyone has a warm heart." The void flashed and replaced the previous image with the one of Kari at the age of twelve. "Let the holy light shine softly, illuminating the worlds - embracing them, as if protecting them." At last, an image of Kari at her present age came in front of Salamon. "Let the holy light give us all an eternal smile."_

_Kari and Salamon were then reunited. They embraced each other and their hearts began to fill with happiness. A final image came to the both of them. It was a small boy with brown hair and blue eyes. Kari found this to be a very odd combination, but watched on anyway. The boy spoke. "__Holy light, shine softly in the darkness and show them tomorrow's path. Holy light, please give them courage, to face the future - true courage...eternally." The voice and image started to fade. "Please..." The pair looked at each other._

_"We cannot give up now. There is still hope, because hope cannot be without light." Kari said softly._

_"Finally!" Salamon yelped. "You realize the truth. It is good to know that we share the same hopes and dreams."_

_Kari reached into her pocket and pulled out her D3, which started glowing a dazzling pink. She looked at Salamon once more and smiled._

_"We will face the dark path, and will illuminate it with the power of the holy light!" The pair yelled in unison._

_"Salamon BioMerge to..." Energy crackled in between the two and bonded them together. Salamon's short limbs were replaced with the limbs of something with a human-like figure. The body became feminine in shape. Shimmering blue and silver armour covered every inch of the figure. The Crest of Light was then emblazoned on the breastplate. Eight, golden wings sprouted on the back as a lance formed, and was grabbed by the developed hand. On her other hand, the Holy Ring of Gatomon was placed on her finger. Salamon's face was replaced with Gatomon's face, followed by Angewomon's face. Finally the helmet on her head was replaced with one that matched her armour. Kari's image flashed across the body as it faded into the figure. The evolution was complete. "...Ophanimon."_

Devimon cringed at the flash of brilliant pink light.

"Not again!" Devimon bellowed. "Does my power have any effect on these children at all?!" The light faded, and Ophanimon appeared in its place.

"Devimon, you come to this world to cause nothing but pain and suffering." Said Ophanimon in her harmonious, dual voice. "You have harmed everyone that we have ever held dear, and yet you revel in it. Devimon, you wretched being, you are an abomination to existence itself. We cannot allow you to go on ruining the hard work of the powers of light. The time has come for the holy light to purify both worlds from the pestilence that is yourself!"

"What is it with you damned angel digimon and your long-winded speeches?!" Devimon yelled. "I do not care, nor do I listen to a word that any of you say!"

"Fool...you should." Ophanimon said quietly. She looked down at the motionless TK and rushed to him quickly. She gently placed her hand on the boy's chest.

"There's no reason to save the boy when you should be worrying about your own safety!" Devimon screamed as he shot a steady stream of energy. Ophanimon looked back him with contempt, raised her other hand back at the demon and focused her energy.

"Sefirot Crystal!" Yelled the heroine as she focused her energy into a barrier that held off the stream and covered herself and TK. The angel digimon looked back at the boy and concentrated. Ophanimon transferred some of her strength into TK. Little by little, the bruises and scars began to heal. Finally, TK breathed again and opened his eyes with a startled look on his face. He looked up at his saviour, Ophanimon. When his vision came back into focus, the digimon projected an image of Kari. TK smiled, realizing what just happened. The two figures stood up and stretched their wings. Devimon's face showed that of worry, but only for a moment. His face illustrated his rage quickly after. Ophanimon brought her barrier down and the two angels took flight. Ophanimon looked at TK. "Are you ready to put him away?"

"Always." TK sneered. The two started glowing brilliantly. Devimon calculated that TK was the weaker of the two, so he attacked the boy first. TK knew what he was up to, and was waiting for his move. Devimon rushed in with his claw, but TK dodged the attack and landed a strong right jab into Devimon's abdomen. Devimon's eyes went wide as the pain surged through his body. TK grinned. "Surprised, demon? Don't be. Thanks to Ophanimon not only have I been re-energized, but I am stronger than before!" TK then grabbed Devimon's arm. Using all his strength, the boy began to swing the beast around and around. When TK finally let go, Devimon plummeted to the ground at a fantastic speed. After a few moments. Devimon staggered out of the crater that was made. His wings were still strong enough for flight, so he took to the air again to escape. "Not this time." TK uttered as he shot out a beam of energy. Instead of being hit by the beam, Devimon was encircled by it. The loop contracted, squeezing the demon in place. Devimon struggled with all his might, but the energy was too strong. "Now, Ophanimon, let's finish it!" TK yelled. Ophanimon readied her lance and TK readied a ball of energy. At the same time, they unleashed their attacks.

"Eden's Javelin!" Ophanimon yelled as she threw her lance with all her might. TK also unleashed his power. Devimon could only scream as he was impaled by the lance, and was blasted to smithereens by the energy. His data was scattered every which way, as the darkness faded. Devimon was deleted. TK looked at Ophanimon. The mighty mega started to dissolve into data. When the fragmentation was complete a pink light flashed, followed by an explosion of feathers. From this, a figure descended. It was Kari...yet it wasn't. Like TK, she was taller, her hair was longer, and she had a pair of wings on her back.

_"Thank you for answering the plea of the powers of light." Gatomon said. "I prefer this voice, by the way, I'm used to it more." Kari giggled._

_"Thank you for helping me save the ones I love." Kari thought. "So I guess that we're one in the same now, and that you're always a part of me."_

_"You were always a bright girl, Kari!" Gatomon laughed. "No need to miss me now, I'll be within if you need me._

_"Thank you, Gatomon..." Thought Kari._

When Kari opened her eyes, she looked at TK. She immediately flew to him and embraced him.

"Now we can be together, my love." Kari said sweetly.

"Yes, always and forever." TK whispered. Then he remembered something. "Our friends!" The two of them flew to the top of Heightonview Terrace. Sure enough, their friends were there, bound to the antenna. They released them and flew them down one by one. After explaining what happened. Izzy was overly excited. Sora saw how the two held each other's hand and smiled.

"I'm glad the two of you have finally been brought together." Sora said.

"The thanks go to you for helping me open my eyes." Kari replied by rubbing her cheek. The two of them laughed.

"Wait that's it!" Izzy announced. Everyone looked back at him. "'Love will lead another pair down this same path' where 'love' is meant as a reference to Sora, and Kari and Gatomon are the second pair. It's all starting to come together. The only question is, who is the last pair, and will any of us have to die?"

"I don't think we have to worry about the end of the prophecy, Izzy." Tai said. "It looks like evil has been 'vanquished' like the prophecy said, so I guess it's redundant now."

Not far from where they were, Davis was rushing to meet his friends. He had received the distress call, and ran as fast as he could to the signal given on his D3. He saw the group up ahead. He then got a good look at Kari, and was flabbergasted.

"It looks like she went through the same thing that TK did." Davis said to himself.

"Oh, TK, I'm so glad that everything has turned out alright." Kari said while staring into his eyes.

"I am, too, Kari." TK said while staring into hers. "Finally everything feels...right." The closed their eyes and leaned closer to one another. Their lips met and they shared a deep kiss. Their hearts were overjoyed and they were at peace. When they parted from their kiss. They looked at everyone and blushed, realizing they were still there. Everyone was smiling. Then they were startled when they came face-to-face with Davis, but...he was smiling, too.

"Thank you for being so understanding, Davis." Kari said as she went over and pecked him on the cheek.

"It's not a problem" Davis said. "Why should I be sore when true love blooms before us all, and Devimon is gone? This is a cause for celebration!" Everyone cheered at the idea, and Mimi started planning a party. The group was too worked up in their happiness to notice Davis turning around to shed a tear, which he quickly wiped away.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

To be continued...

Like I would end it there! The prophecy has yet to be fulfilled still, but don't worry, the end is near! Shame on you people who thought I would end it there when it seems like every thing is hunky-dory, because they aren't!

I didn't think this chapter would be this long! Boy is my face red! 

For those of you who don't know, in Kari's vision sequence, I used the translated (and modified) version of the Japanese song, "Holy Light". This is her theme in the Japanese version.

Also, did you think I would use Ophanimon? Surprised you there. The reason I didn't choose Magnadramon (which I know is the _true_ mega of Gatomon), is because Ophanimon reminds me a lot of Seraphimon, but in a more feminine form, and I wanted the two to be closely linked.

Before I forget...that slap from Sora to Kari was for you, Wolfie!

Now since March Break is over (boo!), school is starting and I'm getting back exams (*shudders*). So it might be a while until I get a conclusion up and running, but be strong! It shouldn't be _too_ long!

Coming Soon: TK and Kari are finally together (like they should be), but things aren't all smiles and sunshine for everyone. Believe it or not, Davis does truly love Kari, and is going through his own personal angst right now. How will he cope with his problem, and how does it compare to TK's ability to manage heartbreak? Stay tuned for the conclusion to the story!


	5. The Strength to Overcome Adversity

Well I think it's time I finished the story. The weekend appears to be the only time for creativity. Sigh, I wish I wasn't so busy! Anyway, this chapter will be **_ very_** dark and (I think) reflects the PG-13 rating (I told you everything wasn't all smiles and sunshine!). The story goes in a very ominous direction. What the heck am I talking about, you ask? Well you'll just have to read to find out!

Disclaimer: I do not own it in a house. I do not own it with a mouse. I do not own it here or there. I do not own it anywhere. I do not own it, anyone. I do not own this "Digimon". (Good ol' Dr. Seuss humour!)

Before I forget...Remember that TK and Kari are seventeen in this story. I'm sure you can estimate the rest of the ages for the others.

When we last left the story, Kari came to her senses, and later combined with Salamon (much like TK did with Patamon). Devimon was also defeated. Now (what you all wanted), TK and Kari are together, and are deeply in love with one another. Yet, amidst all the happiness, one lone figure is not so happy. How is Davis dealing with his heartbreak? You'll be surprised as you read on.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Davis and DemiVeemon left the party celebrating the demise of Devimon a bit early. When he was asked why, he gave the excuse that he was feeling rather tired. As he trudged on home, there was a cold chill in the air. His digimon tried to talk to the boy, but he did not answer. Davis put his hands in his pocket and continued home sullenly. When he got to his apartment, his sister opened the door and let him in. Jun noticed that her brother looked a little under the weather, and gave a look of concern. Sure her brother could be very obnoxious at times, but she cared for Davis very much.

"Davis, what's wrong?" She asked. "Did something not go right at your party?"

"Nothing's wrong, Jun." Davis assured her. "I'm feeling kind of tired, I'm going to sleep." Jun was not convinced, but she did no want to pry at the moment. Her brother seemed to need some alone time for now. Davis and DemiVeemon went to their room, and the boy shut the door behind him. Jun gave him a final message.

"Alright then, but remember, our grandparents are coming over tomorrow morning, so be sure to clean up your room in the morning before you go to school." Jun yelled through the door. There was no response on the other side. She sighed and slowly shook her head as she went back to watching TV.

When Davis climbed into bed, his partner was already fast asleep. He pulled the covers up to his face and just stared at the ceiling. The brunette began to speak to himself.

"Why doesn't she love me?" He asked as tears began to form. "What is it that I'm missing? What is it that TK can offer her that I can't? It just doesn't make any sense! I loved her with every bit of my soul. Ever since we were in grade school, I simply adored her. I think I was making progress, too, but then _he_ came. Right from the start he outclassed me. He had already known Kari longer than I did, and the two of them had been through so much already. She would listen to him more than she would me, she would hang around him more than me, and she would follow him more than me. Even when I improved, I was till a few steps behind TK. He always had the stronger digimon, he always had more experience, and he always had the support of others. How could I have competed with that? Why did the Digital World call upon me, when they had TK as a perfectly good leader to select? I'm just weak and useless! I...just don't know anymore." He yawned the last sentence as drowsiness took over him. DemiVeemon heard everything. Davis had woken him up with all the commotion. Slowly but surely, DemiVeemon slinked out of Davis' room and hopped out the window. He headed off in the direction of The Kamiya residence. Meanwhile...Davis cried himself to sleep than night.

_When he opened his eyes, he was in a void of darkness. Davis walked around aimlessly as he tried to forget._

_"Why should I be so bitter?" He asked himself. "Kari made her choice. TK was able to accept the fact when she was with me, so why can't I do the same in turn?" Unbeknownst to him, a mist was gathering around his feet. It was thick, yet dry. Soon enough, Davis was completely enveloped by it. A voice whispered out to the boy._

_"So, even now you try and match the Child of Hope...even in your time of defeat." The voice spoke in a deep and ominous tone. Davis darted his eyes around the fog, but saw no one._

_"Who's there?" Davis asked. "Show yourself!" The voice chuckled._

_"Who I am is no concern of yours." It said. "Besides, you should not be afraid, child, I am not here to harm you, but to help you instead."_

_"Help me?" Davis questioned. "Why would I need any help?"_

_"I can feel your pain and suffering, child." Said the voice. "You do not need to hide it from me. I feel the anger you feel towards the friends that have wronged you."_

_"I don't know what you're talking about." Davis denied. "I have no reason to be angry at them."_

_"You're wrong." The voice boomed. "You have every right to be mad at them. They destroyed your spirit, and they are at fault for breaking your heart. They know that they have done this, but they do not care about apologizing to you, nor do they want the responsibility of mending your wounds." Davis thought about the little comment. Some of the words were falling into place, and started making sense. Davis' eyes started to water._

_"Maybe you're right, and maybe you're not..." Davis replied. "...but how do you fit into all of this? Why do you care?"_

_"It is simple." The voice responded. "Like you, I know what it is like to reach new levels - to evolve if you will - and still fall short. I know what it is like to try your hardest at something, but still end up disappointed, with shattered pride. I know what it is like to be wronged by the children of Hope and Light. Most importantly, I know that the only cure for such suffering...is revenge." The mysterious voice began manipulating Davis' thoughts, as if it had a predefined power to do so. The boy's eyes went stale, and lost their shine._

_"Could you help me then?" Said Davis in a monotone fashion._

_"Of course." The voice sneered. "I shall help you attain the revenge you seek on every uncaring individual that wishes you nothing but pain who gets in your path, but I require you to do one thing."_

_"What would that be?" Davis asked indifferently._

_"Relinquish your soul!!" The voice yelled. At that instant, the fog entered Davis' mouth violently. Through the remainder of the fog, a pair of familiar red eyes glared at the boy. When the last ounce of mist was swallowed, Davis' eyes went wide._

Davis snapped out of his dream and woke up in a start, and was panting furiously. When he finally calmed himself down, he saw that he was in his room. Davis convinced himself that it was just a nightmare. When he looked out of his window, he noticed that it was morning. As he got dressed and left his room, he did not notice that his partner was missing. Davis went to the kitchen to fix himself breakfast. He could hear his sister getting ready in the bathroom.

"Davis, I hope you cleaned your room." Jun called out. Davis scoffed at his sister's nagging.

_She doesn't care. She doesn't know what I'm going through. She gave no thought to my feelings whatsoever._ Davis thought...at least...he assumed that it was his thought. Then, something came to mind. He opened the third cupboard drawer in front of him and withdrew a sharp, butcher's knife. He studied the blade carefully, and then looked around to see if anyone was watching him. Davis' face was devoid of any emotion and his eyes were glossed over as he walked slowly toward the bathroom door...

An hour later, the doorbell rang. When Davis answered the door, his grandparents were facing him. Davis cringed when he noticed what they were wearing. It was their usual outgoing attire. His grandmother wore a pink scarf around her neck, and his grandfather wore a white fisherman's hat. The pair had their arms around each other in a romantic gesture. Davis growled softly as he led them to the family room.

_How dare they mock me!_ He thought. _Nobody seems to care, so I won't care about them._ He went into the bathroom and retrieved the knife, which was now stained a deep red. A limp hand poked out of the room onto the carpeted floor. Davis walked over the figure to get out of the washroom and then headed towards his grandparents.

"Where's Jun?" They asked from the sitting room. "Did she leave for school already?"

"You'll see her soon enough." Davis told them as he entered the same room...

At school, TK and Kari had just gotten out of class and were in the cafeteria eating lunch. They were constantly getting odd stares. Partly because people were perplexed on why they looked the way they did, and also they were surprised that TK and Kari had finally come to their senses and were now an item. All the time now, TK and Kari were virtually inseparable. They walked walked with their hands clasped together, they were constantly in an embrace, and pretty much everyone had seen their lips meet on several occasions. At the present moment, they were sharing each other's lunch and wore content grins on their faces.

"How long do you think it will take before the entire school stops staring at us?" Kari asked her boyfriend.

"I hope it won't be long." TK responded. "It's rather annoying having no privacy. Anyway, on another note, I'm sure your parents are back from that business trip." Kari sighed and slowly nodded. TK chuckled at her misfortune. "Well how did _they_ take it?"

"It would be an understatement if I just said that they freaked." Kari said, repeating TK's words when situations were reversed. "Luckily, Tai was also there to help me explain it to them. It took us a good three hours, but they finally accepted it, though I doubt they understood any of it. Then again, the Digital World is a confusing subject."

"Speaking of confusing subjects, I wonder where Davis is today." TK mentioned. "I haven't seen him ever since the party."

"Yeah, I know." Kari agreed. "He might be lazy at times, but he's never skipped school before." Then Kari came up with something. She was afraid to realize it. "TK, out of curiosity, when I was going out with Davis and I asked you how you were at times, how did you truly feel?" TK looked confused at the apparent topic change, but he shrugged it off.

"To tell you the truth, I was devastated." TK answered. "It was like my whole body shut down from the shock...I couldn't bear the whole situation, but I tried to be strong for the sake of your happiness."

"Then we have a problem." Kari said. TK looked confused. "This confirms what DemiVeemon was talking about when he stopped over to talk to me early this morning. I have reason to believe that maybe Davis is going through the same thing. He told me he loved me, but I didn't feel the same way. TK, he must feel awful!" Kari's eyes started to get moist. TK leaned in close to her face to comfort her.

"It's not your fault, Kari." TK assured her. "Your feelings cannot be held against you, so you can't blame yourself. However, we cannot sit idly by while Davis is in pain. He's our good friend, and it's up to us to make him feel loved and appreciated." Kari wiped her eyes dry.

"You're right, TK. How about we pay him a visit after school?" Kari proposed. TK nodded at the idea. Just then, the bell for the next period rung. TK kissed Kari goodbye as they went to their respective classes.

Davis was sulking in his room when the doorbell rang. When he answered it, his parents were at the door, and they had cross looks on their faces. They motioned for him to go into the kitchen for a discussion. Little did they know, their son had a stained knife hidden behind his back.

"Daisuke, why weren't you in school today?!" His father yelled. "We got a call from the school today saying that you didn't show up." Mr. and Mrs. Motimiya always used Davis' full name whenever he was in trouble. Davis was about to say something, but his mother stopped him.

"What kind of a silly excuse do you have for doing such a foolish thing, Daisuke!" Mrs. Motimiya joined in. Davis just sneered.

_Is this whole world against me?!_ Davis thought. _I'm all alone in a vast sea of pain. I have to free myself of it._ Davis had an inhuman expression on his face as he revealed the item that he was hiding...

When school ended, TK and Kari met up and headed off to the apartment complex that Davis lived in. When they got to the front of the building, Kari thought of something.

"Maybe I should go in alone." She stated. "It might be difficult for Davis to see you, too." TK nodded in agreement, but he had a bad premonition about the outcome. Kari also felt the same way. When she got to the front door, she was about to knock on the front door, but she froze. "There's nothing to be afraid of." She assured herself. She then proceeded to rap her wrist on door. When Davis answered the door, he was surprised to see Kari there. He barely poked his head out the door as he shut the door as far as it could go. Kari was confused at the boy's antic disposition.

"Kari, what are you doing here." Davis said coldly. Kari was taken aback from the reception she received, but she held firm.

"I've come to apologize, Davis." Kari said quietly. Davis' eyes flashed to life once more. "I think that you're not telling me everything - that you're hiding something from me." Davis darted his eyes around, fearing that she might be getting suspicious. He tried to close the door quickly, but Kari stopped him as she tried to continue. "Davis, I'm truly sorry for hurting you. You must realize that you'll always have a place in my heart, but it is TK that I truly love." Davis' eyes quickly flashed back to their dead state.

_I knew it._ He thought. _She really doesn't care about me. I was just used...used as a tool for humour - the butt of their jokes._ For the first time, Kari peered into the apartment. What she saw, horrified her beyond all belief. There were several bodies on the ground that were very still. There was also a great red stain on the carpet. Kari just stood there, petrified. She blinked a few times, but her eyes were not deceiving her. Kari darted her eyes back to Davis, who saw where she was looking. He opened the door in a quick action and clasped his hands around her neck. Kari was too afraid to move. She silently called out for help, praying that TK would hear her plea. The struggle then was moved into the main room of the apartment. When she came to her senses, she used her newfound strength to try and push Davis away...but something was wrong. He was still able to maintain his strangling of her. Kari was startled at the boy's strength as she wondered in terror as to why she was not strong enough to hold him back. Davis kept one hand around her throat as he reached for the crimson-edged butcher's knife. He brought it high above her face and readied to kill her. Just as he was about to bring the weapon down, the windows of the apartment shattered. Davis looked up at a glowing TK, with wings deployed. TK was not prepared to see what he saw. All of Davis' family members lay there slaughtered by the twisted boy's own hand. He looked back at Davis in disgust.

"How...could you." TK murmured. Using the diversion that TK created, Kari kicked Davis away from herself. She released her wings from her body and flew to TK's side. When Davis picked himself up, he threw the knife at the pair. TK and Kari backed away from the window area to avoid the weapon. The two of them hovered in the air. Davis yelled in rage as purple energy gave him an eerie glow. He sprouted his own set of angel wings, but they were a perverted form of the pure white ones that traditional angels had. His were blackish-purple in colour and had traces of skin membrane. Davis quickly flew out of the building and brought both of his arms up. With a great speed, Davis guided himself towards TK as he brought his arms down with inhuman force. TK plummeted towards the earth. Kari dove after him and grabbed onto his arm just as he was a few metres away from colliding with the ground. The looked back up at their aggressor. He was being consumed by purple energy. Then the dark voice within Davis shouted out.

"Devimon Dark BioMerge to..." Electricity crackled as the figure flashed images between Davis and Devimon. The figure was draped in black leather. A bandana formed on the left arm, two magnums formed in the holsters, a third eye was formed on the forehead, and a helmet was placed over it. Finally, a pair of goggles materialized on top of the helmet. The figure stretched its wings and broke through the energy field, and the evolution was complete. "...Beezlemon." TK stared up in horror as the figure from his nightmare came into being. The dark digimon spoke with Devimon's voice. "As you can see, you will never be able to defeat the powers of darkness! I will always prevail!" TK and Kari could not believe it.

"You sick monster!" Kari yelled as she shuddered. "You manipulated Davis into murdering his family! Never before have I felt such a presence of evil as foul as yours!"

"Guilty as charged!" Beezlemon laughed. "Ever since I was reformatted all that time ago from the first battle between Angemon and myself, I retained the memory of what had happened - the failure, the shame - it was too much! The anger grew as I grew. I trained myself to become stronger, with the thought of revenge being the sole thing that kept me going. I even trained my powers far enough to that of a mega, but I forced my body not to digivolve. I wanted to make sure that I retained my shape, so my revenge would be more significant. When I was defeated by you a second time, my anger just grew greater, and it was the power of my anger that allowed me to survive. However, I was without form and could not do much of anything, but I was not about to give up. I will do anything for the sake of revenge, even if it meant commandeering a pathetic human's body. He was quite easy to manipulate, but his stubbornness and emotions were his strength. I had to destroy those he loved to break his spirit so I could fully control my host. You should have heard him! He is trapped inside here..." Beezlemon said, pointing to his head. "...a prisoner of his own mind. His crying is like energy to my being, so all I had to do was increase his sorrow to become strong enough to evolve into the mega digimon with enhanced strength you now see before you. If you two had not have interrupted me, I would have had the boy, Davis, devour his family members' corpses!" The demon let out a great laugh. TK and Kari felt like they were going to be sick. The two of them had tears streaming down their cheeks, as they felt sorry for what Davis went through.

"How could something like you exist!" TK screamed furiously. "You must be destroyed before your evil spreads to anyone else!" TK rushed at his adversary in a blind rage. As he charged, he remembered the prophecy. "'and vengeance yet another' you shall pay!"

"Pathetic." The demon scoffed, as he withdrew his weapons. "Double Impact!" TK tried to dodge the bullets as fast as he could. The first grazed his elbow, causing TK to grab his arm in pain. The next one should have hit him in the chest...but it never hit. He looked down and saw Kari using her energy to shield him. Beezlemon was not amused. With a speed faster than the angels could see, the demon appeared behind Kari and raised his arms. "Darkness Claw!" Kari arched her back in agony as she felt the claws cut through her skin. TK rushed down to her in a flash as he gave Beezlemon a swift kick to his side. He then shot a quick blast of energy at the digimon. He set Kari down elsewhere and looked at her wounds. She was slashed pretty badly, and was losing blood. She staggered to her feet as TK helped her up. Beezlemon got up from where he fell and looked at them with rage in his eyes. TK stared daggers right back at him. The two rushed at each other as if they were jousting. TK had his fist ready for connection to the scoundrel's face, but Beezlemon was quicker. With a mighty blow, the digimon's fist connected with TK's abdomen. The boy bent over in pain. Beezlemon took this opportunity and drove his knee upward to hit the same spot, which made TK spit out blood and straighten his body. Finally, Beezlemon's elbow connected with TK's back, sending the boy crashing into the ground. TK strained to slowly turn himself face-up. As soon as he did, Beezlemon flew down and held his foot up to the boy's neck. "I shall enjoy this, filth!" The dark creature said as he spat on TK. He was about to bring his foot down, but he stopped when he heard a small voice cry out. The three fighters looked to the origin...it was DemiVeemon.

"DemiVeemon, get out of here before he deletes you!" TK strained in a hoarse voice.

"No, TK." The little digimon replied. "I heard everything that Beezlemon said. I want him to pay for what he did to Davis!"

"Beezlemon's a mega digimon, DemiVeemon, you won't stand a chance against him!" Kari yelled as she clutched her sides. Beezlemon looked down upon the small, blue creature who had hopped up close to him.

"Your friends are right." Said the demon. "You stand no chance of defeating me, but I shall delete you anyway! That should increase my power by increasing your human's sorrow!"

"I don't care if I am deleted." DemiVeemon retorted. "One way or another, you will be stopped!"

"Such an annoying waste of space!" Beezlemon scoffed as he aimed his gun and cocked the trigger. "Double Impact!" The little digimon was blasted several feet away to where Kari was standing. The girl picked him up and had tears in her eyes.

"Promise me." DemiVeemon groaned. "Get him for me...and for Davis. He must not win, you are our last hope." The battered In-training digimon started to dematerialize. "Use the last of my energy to heal yourselves a bit. It's not much, but it should at least give you and TK enough restored energy for a good shot. Goodbye..." With those last words, the brave DemiVeemon was deleted. 

"DemiVeemon, no!!" Kari cried out with tears flowing. His data scattered and its energy was sprinkled over TK and Kari. TK pushed Beezlemon's foot away and got up. He noticed that the demon stayed still as he flew over to Kari. All of a sudden, Beezlemon clutched his head and writhed in pain.

_Inside the mind of the demon, Davis was bound by some force that he could not see. He could see and hear everything that went on, though. His heart cried out as he witnessed the deletion of his friend. His eyes were puffy from prolonged crying. Right now, Davis was tired of crying. Something brewed within him..._

_"That was the last individual alive that loved me." He cried out. "You took them all away from me...my family. The screaming was too much, and the blood...oh God, there was so much blood! You left me all alone, now with nothing, nor no one left to live for. You have to be destroyed...no matter what the cost!"_

TK and Kari watched on as Beezlemon's agony continued. Suddenly, the beast cried out, but it was not Devimon's voice...it was the voice of Davis. He cried out to them.

"TK...Kari..." Davis called out. He was obviously using up a lot of strength to take control over the body, and the angels knew it. "I'm trying to fight his control...you have to strike now!"

"What about you?" Kari asked. "What will happen to you?"

"That's not important!" Davis screamed in pain. "You have to attack him now before he regains control!"

"We can't let you die, Davis!" TK yelled.

"Please..." Davis said in a quieter tone. "You have to do this. You have to protect both worlds. You have a responsibility to them...and each other. If you do this, I can ensure that Devimon will never appear again. I've sensed this power inside of me. He is bound to my body, and he will not escape this time. I'm afraid there's no other way...I'm sorry...for letting you down earlier."

"You never did, Davis." TK responded. "You truly are a courageous person, and I've always been proud to call you my leader." TK concentrated and brought forth as much energy as he could.

"No matter what you may think, know that you will always be a part of us." Kari added. "You have a special place deep in our hearts." She followed TK's lead and focused her power. Davis forced Beezlemon to smile.

"Thank you...my friends." Davis replied. "I love you all." With a great force, TK and Kari released their awesome power. The two colourful energies intertwined as they hit their target. When the dust settled, the two saw the body of Beezlemon fragmenting.

"No!" Screamed the voice of Devimon. "I was so close! This cannot be! I was supposed to get my revenge...I-" His voice was silenced forever.

"I knew I could count on you" Davis whispered contently. "Goodbye..." With that, Daisuke Motimiya was gone.

When the data had disappeared, TK pulled Kari close to him and held her in a warm embrace. She leaned on his chest as they looked upon the scene. Davis' goggles were all that was left. The pair walked over to them and TK picked it up off the ground.

"'where there will be twelve to start, but there will not be twelve to finish.'" TK uttered the final line of the prophecy.

"Looks like the prophecy is complete now." Kari added. "I wish that it never happened. The taking of innocent life is too much for me...it's just too much." She began to weep. TK ran his hand through her hair.

"I know Kari...I know." TK murmured. "Thankfully Devimon will never return to cause more misery, and the Motimiyas will be reunited with Davis, so they can be happy...forever with each other...forever with the ones they love."

They held each other closely as they heard police sirens approaching the tragic view before them...

_Epilogue (five years and nine months later):_

In a busy hospital downtown, a baby boy had just been born. TK took the small infant in his arms and carried him over to Kari's side. The little guy was so well behaved, as he was not crying. TK brushed away a few thin strands of brown hair from the child's face. Both parents stared at their new child in adoration. When the baby finally opened his eyes to gaze upon his parents, TK and Kari were shocked to find out that the boy had blue eyes.

"Now that's an odd combination." They both said in unison. Immediately they looked at each other as they came to a realization. The boy in their visions...was their own son! Kari leaned over and kissed his forehead.

"Thank you for believing in us, little one." She whispered gently. A few moments later, everyone else entered the room. Izzy propped open his laptop, to which both parents gave a quizzical look.

"Gennai says that your son is going to be the first of a new generation of Digidestined." Izzy said. "So consider this a gift from the Digital World." Izzy's laptop began to glow brightly, and out of the light came a small creature. Everyone gasped at who it was. It had been so long.

"Hi, everyone!" DemiVeemon greeted. "It's good to see you all again." The little guy had been reformatted and was now ready to protect his new partner and future best friend. He jumped on the nightstand next to the parents and stared at the child in wonder. "What's his name?" DemiVeemon asked. TK and Kari looked at each other and smiled. They silently agreed on the proposal. TK caressed the baby's face.

"We're naming him after one of the strongest people we have ever known." TK uttered as he took out a pair of familiar goggles from the nightstand drawer. "His name is Davis."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

END

Well that's it for this story! (Freaky, eh?) I hope that didn't suck too much. I'm thinking of drawing some sort of picture for it (my friend wanted to have a visual of "Angel TK and Kari"). Also, I'm still finishing up my other picture for "Love on a Leaf" (so don't worry, Cracker!). Thanks for reading this story, I hope you all enjoyed it.

Now the question is, what the heck do I have brewing in my noodle that can be converted into a new story? Personally...I have no idea whatsoever! Surely I'll think of something. Sigh, oh well. As always, review and share your thoughts, but as for me...I'm off to bed.

-OP


End file.
